Bedford Minuteman
Thursday, March 24, 2005

Hanscom area towns look to copy other base successes
Fort Devens reuse being studied

By Paul M. Furfari/ Staff Writer

(Editor's note: This story is the third in a series that looks at the
importance of Hanscom Air Force Base to the surrounding communities, the
possible impact of its closure and its proposed expansion)

If the military leaves, it will be up to regional authorities to pick up the
slack.

The federal Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) acts have closed many
military installations over the years, passing the burden of redevelopment
and reuse onto the communities that once thrived off the bases.

Regional planning authorities, instead of letting large tracts of land
fall into disrepair and non-use, have used the strengths of existing
infrastructure and ample incentives to lure companies and create new
development. But for all the successes, there have been some
disappointments.

"Most people feel that the development that has happened to date has
been very good for the region," said Ayer Town Administrator Anita
Scheipers. "The fact that redevelopment is happening has helped the town of
Ayer stay healthy and viable."

Just down the road, the towns of Ayer, Shirley and Harvard have been
dedicating great effort into the reuse and revitalization of the former Fort
Devens military base.

After closing in 1996, Devens was handed over to Mass Development with
the towns having the right to approve or deny any development plans.

"The town of Ayer was quite concerned when the base closure came to
be...we've always been a base town and the businesses in town were based
around [the military families]," Scheipers said.

But for its success, Scheipers said some of the businesses that have
been drawn to Devens have not been the best for revenue.

Warehousing operations, including Gillette's warehouse facility, have
found a home in Devens because of its proximity to a rail line, but
Scheipers acknowledged that lucrative research and development firms have
not been flocking to the former base. That has hurt the town's bottom line,
as those types of businesses would pump more revenue into the area towns'
budgets, Scheipers said.

While some in Ayer have been outspoken about the failures of the base
redevelopment, Scheipers said it has been only a fraction of the people that
have expressed frustration.

The Department of Defense's Office of Economic Adjustment (OEA) assists
local communities in making the transition from a base-dependent community
to an ownership community.

Under the slogan "helping communities help themselves," the federal
organization assists local and state authorities guide base-dependent
communities to renewed opportunity.

The OEA's plan for base reuse notes "the closure and reuse process is
disruptive, but the experience of most communities is that the net result is
economically beneficial in the long run."

If Hanscom Air Force Base closes, Bedford, Lincoln, Concord and
Lexington could find themselves in a situation much like the towns that
surround Devens: Nearly 10 years out with limited success and a continued
process for development.

Scheipers said the Devens area towns will submit a development plan in
2006 for the Devens land, but there are still concerns over transportation,
housing, and about the success of the development that has come into Devens.

She said the issue of development with more income potential is not a
reality of a misstep by Mass Development, just the nature of the current
economic climate.

The 2006 plan will also look at other issues including: economic
development, land use planning, affordable housing, jurisdiction and
governance issues.

Another in-progress redevelopment story is South Weymouth Naval Air
Station, which was closed in 1997 after making the BRAC list in 1995.

The South Shore Tri-Town Development Corporation has overseen the
recent purchase of 550 acres of the former military installation and
continues to seek an additional 800 acres of the site for redevelopment use.

Mary Ryan and Beth Mitchell, partners with the Boston law firm Nutter,
McClennen and Fish have worked with the towns affected by the Weymouth
closure to purchase the land for redevelopment.

"So there was an interim to consider developing this as a traditional
office/industrial project," Mitchell said. That plan would not have created
reliable income and was declined "...because of state and federal regulators
and market conditions."

After forgoing a separate plan to develop the site as a massive mall,
the towns have approved a plan for a mixed-use development that will combine
residential, commercial and recreation open space. That plan is currently in
review and according to Mitchell is "consistent with regulatory emphasis on
smart growth."

Even with a potential for three military base reuse sites in
Massachusetts competing for companies to foster growth, Mitchell said there
will be plenty of space for each site to develop according to separate
plans.

"I don't think so, in part because we will likely have a bit of a
different focus. Redevelopment plans are supposed to be community driven.
The focus on Devens is more on an industrial development...The South
Weymouth project is really focused on creating a mixed use development," she
said.

"[The Hanscom towns] are going to have to get together to see what
makes the most sense for the reuse of that property and it may not be like
the others," Ryan said.

The process to develop each site in Massachusetts will continue into
the next decade as planners examine what is the best way to redevelop each
site.

"These projects take a long time to plan because you're dealing with
multiple communities. You have to figure out how to allocate
responsibilities for the project," Mitchell said. "There are a lot of
inter-municipal arrangements."

As one of the first bases closed as part of the BRAC process, Pease Air
Force Base in Portsmouth, N.H. has been transformed into a booming trade
center.

Closed in 1991 after the 1988 BRAC, the 4,037-acre site has been reused
in its entirety. The former base now houses more than 100 companies, a
harbor, airport, golf course and Great Bay National Wildlife Refuge.

Civilian job loss at the site was 400 when it closed in 1991, but the
site's development has created 5,000 jobs, according to the Pease
Development Authority.

The Hanscom Area Town Selectmen (HATS) will meet tonight at 7 p.m. at
Bemis Hall in Lincoln to discuss contingency plans for the site in the event
that Hanscom finds itself on the BRAC list May 16.

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