Across the country, closed military bases are springing back to life. Once a blight on their communities, abandoned bases are being redeveloped as business and residential properties. The Navy Yard in Philadelphia is a mixed-use office, research, and industrial park on the site of an old waterfront base. In San Diego, the former Naval Training Center is being transformed into a new community called Liberty Station. For many of these new developments, Devens, Massachusetts is a national model for the successful reuse of former military installations.


Devens, formerly Fort Devens, is a 4,400-acre self-contained community located in the Nashoba Valley in Central Massachusetts. The area is 35 miles west of Boston on a major east-west highway, Route 2, the Cambridge and Concord Turnpike. Originally established in 1917 to train soldiers during World War I, the site became a permanent military base in 1931 and remained so until being closed under the Base Realignment and Closure Program in 1996.


After almost 80 years as a military installation, the idea of a transition seemed overwhelming to many in the community.


“I think a measure of how daunting the transition seemed was the fact that the state legislature passed special legislation that designated the area as a redevelopment enterprise zone,” says Janet Hookailo, executive vice president for communications at MassDevelopment, a quasi-public economic development agency charged with implementing a comprehensive reuse plan for the community. 


“The legislature appropriated $200 million dollars to be drawn down as necessary to make the site development ready, and at the same time created a one-stop license permitting authority called the Devens Enterprise Commission which continues to operate as an independent entity.”


Starting Gate


From the beginning, Devens had a combination of state and local support that fast-tracked much of the redevelopment. When plans were in their initial stages, the fort’s host towns of Ayer, Harvard, and Shirley approved turning over the property to MassDevelopment. Over 10 years later, Devens is a growing residential community with a thriving business climate. As of 2008, the public and business investment to rejuvenate the area amounted to $750 million.


“Early on, the highest interest was in companies that needed distribution facilities. As the development has matured, we have seen more movement towards technology firms,” says Hookailo. “We have been aggressive in courting firms with a high-tech mission.”


In the initial redevelopment plan, much of the area was zoned as an innovation-and-technology center. Today, more than 80 businesses are located in Devens, many of them technology firms. In the last three years, the two major additions have cemented Devens place in this burgeoning high-tech corridor.


In 2006, Devens was named the site for a $750 million biotechnology plant by Bristol-Myers Squibb on an 88.7-acre site. When completed, the facility will employ over 500 people. The following year, Evergreen Solar announced plans to build a solar-panel manufacturing facility. The $165 million facility is projected to employ 700 people.


Sustainability Culture


The community’s interest in a greener future has resulted in both a more livable environment as well as a business culture that is looking to attract green industry. Due to Devens’ commitment to preserving open space, the new development features 2,100 acres of protected open and recreation lands, a little less than half of which are managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The community has also worked to attract businesses like Evergreen Solar that produce environmentally friendly products.


The closure of Fort Devens in 1996 eliminated close to 3,000 civilian positions. Today, more than 3,500 people are employed there. Further, a civilian and military payroll that totaled $178 million in 1991 was close to $220 million in 2005. While challenges remain in the development plan, the project thus far has been a success. “Devens is often considered as a site because of the amenities and infrastructure that is available, and the ability to permit quickly,” says Hookailo. “The guaranteed 75-day permitting has been a big plus. The Bristol-Meyers Squibb site was permitted in 49 days, and Evergreen was nearly as fast.”


“Devens is a case study for redeveloping former military bases,” says Michael Hackman, founder and chief executive officer of Hackman Capital Partners, LLC, an investor in a joint venture which acquired a 235,000-square-foot warehouse in the Devens Commerce Center with 82,187-square-foot available for lease. “There is great potential for growth. It’s the result of the combined efforts of MassDevelopment, state and local agencies, and the surrounding community."