The MassDevelopment request for proposals seeks to build on the regional enterprise zone’s growth through the development of two separate sites for residential uses.
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MassDevelopment is looking for developers to build more housing on 69.3 acres of available land in Devens, part of a wider effort to use the former U.S. Army base to increase the state’s supply of housing.
The MassDevelopment request for proposals seeks to build on the regional enterprise zone’s growth through the development of two separate sites for residential uses, according to a press release issued Monday.
“Housing is a critical competitive asset for Massachusetts and essential to sustaining a strong, growing economy,” Eric Paley, economic development secretary and chair of MassDevelopment’s board of directors, said in the press release. “These sites present a real opportunity to expand housing options for the people who work in and around Devens, support employers competing for talent, and help address the region’s broader housing shortage. We are excited to see this move forward.”
MassDevelopment released two separate RFPs related to the effort, one for a 6.6-acre area on Adams Circle, and the other for a roughly 62.7-acre area along Grant Road. Both are located next to existing residential neighborhoods. The RFPs encourage a variety of housing types, sizes, and price points involving either rental or ownership properties.
“Adams Circle and Grant Road represent a big opportunity to bring more housing and economic growth to Devens,” Navjeet Bal, MassDevelopment’s president and CEO, said in the press release. “MassDevelopment’s team of real estate professionals, engineers, utilities managers, and others have worked hard to prepare these sites for development, and the Mass Leads Act unlocked our ability to go to market. With strong demand for more housing facing Devens and the entire region, we look forward to working with interested developers to turn this opportunity into reality.”
Full details regarding the RFPs can be found here.
The former location of the U.S. Army’s New England headquarters for 79 years, Fort Devens closed in 1996. Since then, the area has been redeveloped into an economic hub, with an increasing focus on housing under the Gov. Maura Healey Administration. In November 2024, Healey signed the Mass Leads Act into law, with a provision in the law lifting a previous cap of 282 housing units for the regional enterprise zone.
Eric Casey is the managing editor at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the manufacturing and real estate industries.
