Concord Journal
May 5, 2005

"What if" plan for Hanscom discussed
By Barbara Forster/ Correspondent

What could happen at Hanscom Air Force Base if the military goes away
was the topic under discussion on Thursday, April 28 at Bemis Hall in
Lincoln.

About 50 area residents from the four Hanscom communities paid
attention as Sasaki Associates, Inc. of Watertown, the towns' consultants
preparing a contingency plan study, presented three possible scenarios based
on information from various studies, reports, and input from almost 100 area
residents in a previous workshop. The scenarios included keeping the base
open and even adding more work.

Currently Hanscom is considered a "low density campus" with a "floor
ratio area" of .12, which is comparable to a light industrial/office park,
so room to grow is available. However, several problems must be solved.

One is traffic congestion, particularly the "jug-handle" at Routes 4
and 225. According to a recent traffic study, separating the routes is a
must to accommodate growth.

Selectman Anne Shapiro of Concord agreed that traffic is a particular
concern. Although only a minuscule amount of Air Force land is in Concord -
about an acre - the town feels the strain of surrounding traffic. In
addition to possible growth at the base, Concord faces increasing traffic
from an area building boom of almost 900 housing units that includes a 40B
project.

"It will matter (to us) what kind of use is decided," she said.

Another problem is finding a solution that does not harm the four towns
financially, especially Lincoln. Base housing is located on land that is
within Lincoln town boundaries. If the base closes, town boundaries
determine "ownership."

Determining a governing authority to take the lead if the base closes
is another critical issue. According to Sara Mattes of Lincoln, who chairs
the Hanscom Area Towns Committee and is the communities' liaison to the
state consortium working to keep the base open, that solution is in the
works. She expects that more details will be available next month, she said.

"We can figure out how to do the dance, but we don't know who we're
dancing with," she said.

"The towns are well ahead of the curve in thinking about a local
redevelopment authority," added David Knisely of Garrity and Knisely.

He explained that if the base closes, other military branches have
first dibs on the property, followed by other federal agencies. State and
local agencies are next on the list, but the local redevelopment authority
is the "screening" body to determine who gets the land and for what purpose.

"They make recommendations to the Air Force," said Knisely.

The authority also negotiates with the Air Force about land
distribution and prepares the reuse plan.

Overall, the results received good grades, but praise was cautious.

"It's good to keep in mind that we don't really know what's going to
happen; this is really an exercise in discussion," said Bedford Selectman
Sheldon Moll. "The ideas are good but there is no application to the real
world."

Despite the presentation of possible plans, Mattes stressed that the
primary emphasis is on keeping the base open. The Department of Defense will
release the list of possible base closures on Friday, May 13.

"If we're on the list, we're going to spend the summer getting off the
list," she said. "And if we're not on the list, we're going to spend the
summer making sure we don't get on the list."

Additional bases can be named through September.

Sasaki ran the workshop, which is part of a contingency plan study
funded by a $156,000 grant from the Office of Economic Adjustment, an agency
of the Department of Defense.

--They came up with...

In the favored scenario, the Defense Technology Initiative, the Air
Force base stays open and expands, adding more research and development
work. A village center, a realigned east-west connecting road on the base,
along with bikeways and trails to link existing open spaces are included in
this concept, too.

To accommodate the increased work, multistory buildings would go up on
current surface parking areas; cars would have their own buildings.

--But what happens if ...

The remaining two scenarios assume that the Air Force goes away. In
each, new development, the concept of mixed use is recommended; the
difference is how much new space is created to handle that use.

In the first version, approximately 600,000 to 1 million square feet of
new commercial/research and development space would be added to the existing
4.9 million square feet along with 25 to 30 additional acres of open space.
Additional housing could be geared to live/work space, artist lofts,
assisted living, and affordable housing. Some type of traffic management
system is needed, too.

The second scenario is a scaled-down version with only 300,000 to
500,000 square feet of new mixed-use space with no additional housing.

Sasaki consultants noted that the second version could act as a
starting point with the Defense Technology Initiative model as a goal.

--No free rides

The two plans, however, have a significant fiscal effect on Lincoln,
which stands to lose as much as $7.7 million if the base closes. The
consultants point out that Lincoln's commercial property tax rate is
currently half of what businesses in Bedford and Lexington pay.

In the first scenario without the Air Force base, Lincoln would need
3.4 million square feet of commercial space to remain fiscally neutral. In
the second one, only 1.75 million square feet is needed if the town makes
its commercial property tax rate comparable to the other towns.

On May 13, BRAC's announcement will be available on the Concord town
Web site, www.concordnet.org, under "Special Announcements."

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