Hell hath no fury like a Globe executive spurned | Mountain of debt shrinking at the MassGOP | Blown housing opportunity at Devens | Quick hits |
News tips? Story ideas? Email us at sbvanvoorhis@hotmail.com
Head scratcher: Amid housing crisis, thousands of acres at Devens sit idle and undeveloped
Home prices and rents are in the stratosphere. Yet the old North Central Massachusetts military base and its sprawling acreage, despite being decommissioned decades ago, has been effectively placed off limits for large-scale housing development.
Now, six months after taking the oath of office, it’s high time for Gov. Maura Healey and her new administration to take a swing at lifting the absurd ban, a top state lawmaker says.
To that end, state Sen. Jamie Eldridge, chair of the Legislature’s judiciary committee, buttonholed the Healey administration’s new housing chief, Ed Augustus, at a housing industry event last week.
Under current rules, new housing at the former Army-base-turned-industrial-park has been capped for the last three decades at a measly 282 homes, apartments and condos.
“Why is there this arbitrary housing cap from 1994,” said Eldridge, a Democrat whose district includes Harvard and Ayer, two of the three towns bordering Devens. “The governor was very clear in her campaign she wants to use public and state land for housing.”
As a first step, Eldridge would like to see MassDevelopment, the state authority that controls Devens, to start meeting with officials from the three towns surrounding Devens, all of which would have to agree to lift the cap.
He would also like the state authority to revive a proposal, defeated by voters more than a decade ago, to renovate the long-empty, red brick Vicksburg Square barracks into hundreds of new apartments.
Vicksburg Square: Old Devens barracks seen as good candidate for apartments (by Amy Dain)
MassDevelopment had nothing new to share, with a bland, background statement about its commitment to lifting the cap and getting more housing built.
The scuttlebutt is that the state authority is not exactly rushing to engage in what could very well likely be a bruising political battle with local NIMBY types to raise the cap on new housing at Devens.
And let’s just say MassDevelopment’s less than inspiring response is unlikely to convince skeptics that it is gearing up for a serious effort on the issue.
############################################################################
This is the free version of Contrarian Boston. In order to get full access to all the stories in today’s newsletter and previous editions, consider becoming a paid subscriber.
Here are some of the stories a subscription would unlock:
Gaining traction: New MassGOP chief steadily digging party out from under mountain of debt
Not a happy camper: Former Globe executive sues paper over $12 million he says he’s owed
One dimensional: Mainstream media coverage on big affirmative action decision all too predictable
Please click below to subscribe and demonstrate your support. Thank you!