Lexington Minuteman
Thursday, May 12, 2005

Base closure would affect R&D end

By Bethan L. Jones/ Staff Writer

With the deadline of notification rapidly approaching, the future of
Hanscom Air Force Base is becoming evermore relevant.

In anticipation of the word from the Pentagon, expected tomorrow, the
Hanscom Area Town Selectmen mandated a study in February of the potential
redevelopment and planning changes for the base.

Fred Merrill, a principal at Sasaki Associates in Watertown, has helped
lead the study, presenting the towns with a comprehensive study providing
both concerns and possibilities for the Air Force base. HATS members hope
the information and ideas in the study will make all decision making bodies
better prepared to make quick choices when the fate of the base is known.

Sasaki was hired by HATS through a grant to the town of Lincoln, which
would acquire a huge tract of housing units if the base closes, increasing
its housing stock by 40 percent.

"It would be like getting 840 housing units overnight," said Merrill,
adding the town would also lose the financial assistance from the government
for educating the families of base employees.

The grant study examined the entire 810 acres of Hanscom, determining
which areas have the greatest potential for reuse, governance models and the
impacts on town services.

Of the entire acreage, 35 percent of Hanscom is employment resources,
25 percent residential, 9 percent community and retail services, 30 percent
open space and 1 percent actual airfield space. The base is divided amongst
four towns with 48 percent of Hanscom in Lincoln, 31 percent in Bedford, 21
percent in Lexington and less than 1 percent in Concord.

The Lexington portion of Hanscom, which includes Lincoln Labs, consists
of 4 acres of housing, 30 acres of open space, 18 acres of commercial and
administrative buildings, 21 acres of industrial development and 92 acres of
research and development facilities.

The airfield saw a 7.2 percent decrease in activity in 2004 with a
total of 180,000 aircraft operations. Ninety-nine percent of that activity
is civilian based. During 2004, Shuttle America and Boston-Maine Airways
carried 22,000 passengers from Hanscom with Shuttle America ceasing
operations by the end of the year. The passenger load was a 39 percent
decrease from 2003. Merrill said, however, that the study is not about the
airfield, which is such a small portion of the Hanscom facility.

"It's all about the reuse of Hanscom Air Force Base," he said.

The study recommends two potential concepts for redeveloping Hanscom.
The first is the defense technology initiative which is supported by the
state. Earlier this year, Gov. Mitt Romney dedicated more than $200 million
for redevelopment in Hanscom to improve the research and development
facilities at the base, which would be good news for Lexington which houses
most of the current facilities.

Under the DTI scheme, the office and research and development space
would be increased by more than 1 million square feet. An additional 800
housing units would also be constructed. Under that plan, money is also set
aside to increase and improve services to the base including roads. The
"jug-handle" intersection at Bedford Street and Hartwell Avenue in Lexington
has been made a high priority in these improvements.

Merrill said, however, the DTI plan works under the assumption that
Hanscom will remain open and functioning as a military facility.

Merrill and his team created another concept for HATS to mull over,
taking on a mixed-use village plan. In this scheme, more office and research
and development space will be added, but the redevelopment will also include
a range of housing options to meet the needs of a wide spectrum of
residents. The Sasaki plan includes enhanced open space and transportation
options to the area.

"[Hanscom] would be a sustainable small village centered around
employment and a town center," said Merrill.

One hurdle with that plan is that Hanscom crosses the town lines of
four municipalities, creating an "added complexity" to the planning process.

"It wouldn't be a new town," said Merrill, adding there are places
around the country where developments cross town boundaries. He said
development would take the town lines into account, not building structures
across them, but it would be a "design challenge." Merrill said town lines
could be adjusted but that would take an act from the state Legislature.

The redevelopment plans, Merrill said, have applicable ideas whether
Hanscom remains a military facility or not and do take into account the
surrounding town needs. The base's proximity to the Minute Man National
Historic Park and residential areas in all four towns, traffic congestion,
the cleanup of the two onsite landfills and three locations with groundwater
and soil pollution from petroleum releases and maintaining the more than
8,000 civilian jobs it provides are some of the many issues highlighted in
the extensive report.

"We're looking at what Hanscom could be as either an expanded base or a
redeveloped closed base," said Merrill.

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