Land abounds at former Army base in Devens — but turning it over for housing has been a conundrum
However, Vicksburg Square and the rest of the technology center district are zoned primarily for commercial use, not housing. To allow housing there, all three towns need to agree; any rezoning needs approval at a 'super town meeting,' a proceeding that involves all three towns.The hope is that the Devens working group can bring about that long-awaited compromise.
Advertisement
The towns had floated one concept a year ago for rezoning Vicksburg Square for housing, but with several caveats: Half of the units would be set aside as condos, a quarter for rental apartments, and a quarter for seniors or people with special needs. The head of MassDevelopment, a quasi-public agency that acts as the Devens landlord, didn't agree at the time, arguing it might not attract enough developer interest. But now, state economic development secretary Yvonne Hao, MassDevelopment's chair, has a new chief executive in charge, Navjeet Bal.
Hao said she is hopeful, particularly for the future of Vicksburg Square, which is considered historic and can't easily be demolished.
'People had strong opinions and strong points of view [but] there is a general consensus that it should be developed,' Hao said. 'Having that building sit empty and abandoned, nobody wants that. It's just a wasted opportunity.'
Advertisement
Angus said there are other places where housing could be built within the district. 'It's an excellent opportunity to help with the state's housing crisis,' Angus said.
The legislative directive specifically mentions an agreement for 400 housing units across the 90 acres, but the working group isn't expected to limit its discussions to that. Among the big questions that the group will need to confront is how best to educate kids who live in this new housing, said state Representative Jamie Eldridge, a Democrat who represents Ayer and Harvard. (Devens kids currently go to Harvard's schools, via a contract with MassDevelopment.) Other questions will surface around what portion of the new units should be deemed affordable, Eldridge said, and the right mix of rental apartments versus condos.
For now, the 4,400-acre former base is primarily an industrial park. But the success of the employers there is at least somewhat tied to whether their employees can find a place to live nearby.
'As a parent, we want to know where our kids are going to live,' said John Katter, a Devens resident. 'We want to know where our police officers are going to live. The nurses, the engineers, the people who can't afford housing now are being pushed out west. Devens has become a magnet for industry. If we're going to continue to win, we need to accommodate not only our families, but the people who can build Devens to the potential it can be built.'
Jon Chesto can be reached at
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump's aggressive moves on immigration protests put Democrats in a political bind
President Donald Trump's deployment of military troops to California is forcing Democrats back onto politically perilous turf, as they look for ways to condemn his actions without being drawn into a broad debate over immigration or tying themselves to the chaotic scenes emerging from Los Angeles. Republicans are relishing a fight that directs attention away from their monthslong, intraparty debate over tax and spending legislation, and the messy political breakup of Trump and Elon Musk, and toward what they view as Democrats' biggest vulnerabilities: immigration, law enforcement and public disorder. Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman warned his fellow Democrats about the images emerging from California, where protests erupted Friday after Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids and escalated into outbreaks of violence. Some protesters have thrown objects at law enforcement, looted businesses, blocked a major freeway and set self-driving cars ablaze — while police in riot gear fired rubber bullets to disperse crowds. While much of the protest activity has been peaceful, images of burning cars and chaos have been widespread across social media and traditional news coverage. 'You can't defend when people start setting things on fire or they start damaging buildings or going after members of law enforcement. That's not free speech. That is not peaceful protest,' Fetterman said Tuesday. Fetterman, who was lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania during racial justice protests around the country in 2020, said Democrats 'should have learned the lesson back in 2020. Absolutely, there was righteous outrage over what happened to George Floyd, but that never means that you can support or be quiet if there's destruction or rioting and destroying and looting and those kinds of things.' He said he was 'not judging any of my other colleagues in my party,' but warned: 'You can't be quiet on those things. You have to just call it really what it is.' Some Democrats privately agree with Fetterman, saying their party's leaders must be more forceful in condemning the rioters' behavior. Lawmakers in competitive swing districts also worry about the political ramifications down the road, particularly if party activists resurrect a years-old battle cry for abolishing ICE. And in the meantime, they believe Democrats will be forced to grapple with an existential question: Do they support federal law enforcement officials actually enforcing federal immigration law? In a clear sign of the fraught political moment, lawmakers from across the Democratic Party's ideological spectrum issued warnings Tuesday against violence. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, a progressive independent who caucuses with Democrats, urged protesters to exhibit the same 'disciplined non-violent resistance' to Trump that civil rights leaders used to end segregation. 'Violent protests are counterproductive and play right into Trump's playbook,' he said on X. Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar, a conservative Democrat who has long represented a Rio Grande Valley district, said in a statement that 'when people start throwing bricks and hammers at law enforcement, that's no longer protest — that's criminal.' 'We can debate policy without attacking the people who wear the badge and work to keep us safe,' Cuellar said. Trump, for his part, has blamed Democrats broadly and California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Karen Bass specifically for mishandling the situation, saying on Truth Social the city 'would be burning to the ground right now' had he not deployed troops there. And Republicans have delighted in pitting Trump against Newsom. House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters Tuesday that Newsom — who has aggressively criticized the Trump administration's moves — 'ought to be tarred and feathered.' 'He's standing in the way of the administration carrying out the federal law. He is applauding the bad guys and standing in the way of good guys,' Johnson said. Trump's actions have put Democrats in a complicated political spot. The party has struggled to navigate the issue of immigration since the president's victory in November — split between the moral outrage of the Democratic base over Trump's unprecedented deportation efforts, and polls that have largely reflected public support for the president on the issue overall. In particular, surveys have shown that most voters want tougher border security than the Biden administration put in place for much of the previous four years. But the politics get murkier when Americans are asked about the details of how Trump is carrying out his campaign promise to conduct the largest deportation effort in the nation's history. In the past — particularly when federal law enforcement cleared Lafayette Square, near the White House, amid 2020 protests — polls found that Americans opposed the use of rubber bullets and tear gas, and opposed deploying the US military in response to protests within the country. A CBS News/YouGov survey conducted before the protests in Los Angeles broke out found somewhat contradictory results: Fifty-four percent of Americans support Trump's deportation program, and 55% like its 'goals.' However, 56% said they dislike 'the way you think [Trump] is going about' the deportations. unknown content item - Democrats this week argued that Trump's actions have only worsened tensions in California. Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly said the president's deployment of the National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles is 'like throwing the match onto the kindling.' 'He took some actions that escalated an issue — a problem, but it was under control. And now the problem is bigger because of the actions he took,' Kelly told CNN. Democrats also accused Trump of hypocrisy, pointing out that he was slow to deploy the National Guard on January 6, 2021, when his supporters were rioting and attacking police officers at the US Capitol. 'We begged the president of the United States to send in the National Guard. He would not do it,' California Rep. Nancy Pelosi, who was the House speaker at the time, said Tuesday. California Rep. Ro Khanna told CNN outside the Capitol on Monday that Democrats 'need to continue to unequivocally condemn the violence, the threats or attacks on law enforcement agents — I mean, that has no place.' But, the progressive congressman added, Trump's actions are unconstitutional. 'One can hold two thoughts — that political violence should be absolutely condemned, vandalism needs to be condemned, but that the appropriate remedy are state and local police — that you can't deploy the military against our own people, unless there's a real crisis,' Khanna said. Massachusetts Rep. Seth Moulton similarly said that 'there's no excuse for violence.' 'If you're protesting the fact that ICE officers are sometimes too violent, doing that with violence doesn't make the point,' he said. However, Moulton also said Trump is using the US military to achieve political aims at home. 'This is not an opportunity to turn active-duty Marines against the American people. And that's what Trump is doing,' Moulton said. Trump has used Newsom as a foil as he deploys troops to the Los Angeles area — even suggesting Monday that border czar Tom Homan should arrest the governor. Newsom, a potential 2028 presidential contender, has embraced the clash and publicly dared Homan to arrest him. Newsom himself has been in regular touch with lawmakers on the Hill, and held a briefing with his state's delegation and the leader of the California National Guard on Monday to update them on Trump's actions, according to two people familiar with the call. Newsom's office has also been distributing copies of some of attacks on him, including Trump's calls to arrest him, to House Democrats' offices, those people said. The scenes unfolding in California are also leading Democrats elsewhere to grapple with what they would do if Trump took similar actions in their states. And they fear they'd be powerless to stop it. Rep. Mikie Sherrill, one of the Democratic candidates in Tuesday's New Jersey gubernatorial primary, said Trump's move 'shows the further incompetence coming from Washington and the constant level of chaos that is almost intentionally generated there.' Sherrill also warned that military missions are much different from those of law enforcement in the United States. Another New Jersey gubernatorial candidate, Rep. Josh Gottheimer, highlighted Trump's actions in a speech. He said the scenes in California make clear 'just what's on the line in this election and why it's so important that we have a governor who's willing to stand up and fight.' The Democratic Governors Association, in a statement signed by 22 governors, called Trump's deployment of troops to California 'an alarming abuse of power.' But the statement did not address the president's handling of his deportation program. 'It's important we respect the executive authority of our country's governors to manage their National Guards — and we stand with Governor Newsom who has made it clear that violence is unacceptable and that local authorities should be able to do their jobs without the chaos of this federal interference and intimidation,' the Democratic governors' statement said. CNN's Arlette Saenz, Ted Barrett, David Wright and Manu Raju contributed to this report.
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Former State Sen. Cindy Coyne will run for RI lieutenant governor in 2026
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Former State Sen. Cindy Coyne announced Tuesday she will seek the Democratic nomination for Rhode Island lieutenant governor in 2026. Coyne becomes the first official challenger looking to unseat incumbent Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos, a Democrat whose political standing was badly damaged by a scandal over nomination papers that helped torpedo her 2023 run for Congress. Matos was appointed to the job in 2021 and elected to a full term the following year. Coyne, a 63-year-old Pawtucket native, represented Barrington as well as parts of Bristol and East Providence in the R.I. Senate from 2015 to 2022. She flipped a seat that Republicans had held for more than 100 years, and went on to serve as chair of the Judiciary Committee. Prior to her time as a senator, she was on the Barrington Town Council. Coyne filed candidacy paperwork with the R.I. Board of Elections on Tuesday morning, and then released a campaign launch video on YouTube to announce her candidacy. 'I'm running to be your next lieutenant governor — to put my experience to work for you.' Coyne said in a statement. 'My work has been about bringing people together. Listening to people. Seeking the truth and solving problems. That's what government should be about and that's what I'll do as your next lieutenant governor.' Before entering politics, Coyne served on the Rhode Island State Police, where she was one of the first women to join the ranks. She is also the wife of former longtime Deputy Attorney General Jerry Coyne. They have four children. 'As a mother of four, I know that there are great challenges facing our state,' Coyne said. 'We need to tackle the high cost of housing, protect our aging adults, keep our communities safe, and make life more affordable for families.' Democrats have won every election for Rhode Island lieutenant governor since 1968, though Republican Bernard Jackvony held the job for a short time in the 1990s when he was appointed to fill a vacancy. (Jackvony lost his bid for a full term.) Other Democrats are also considering a run for lieutenant governor, including Central Falls Mayor Maria Rivera, state Sen. Lou DiPalma and podcast host Bill Bartholomew. Aaron Guckian, who was the Republican nominee against Matos in 2022, could also run again. Rhode Island's statewide primary election is scheduled to take place on Sept. 8, 2026. RELATED: Woman at center of Matos signature scandal avoids prison time Ted Nesi (tnesi@ is a Target 12 investigative reporter and 12 News politics/business editor. He co-hosts Newsmakers and writes Nesi's Notes on Saturdays. Connect with him on Twitter, Bluesky and Facebook. Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Mike Johnson claims that Gavin Newsom ‘ought to be tarred and feathered' over LA protests
House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Tuesday that California Governor Gavin Newsom should be 'tarred and feathered,' even as he criticized the Democrat for allegedly not doing enough to uphold law and order in the face of the ongoing L.A. protests. The comments mark the latest escalation in a war of words between Newsom and the Republican party, after White House border czar Tom Homan suggested over the weekend that California officials might be arrested if they impeded immigration enforcement, and Newsom responded by daring 'tough guy' federal officials like Homan to detain him. (Homan later said his comments had been blown out of proportion, and that Newsom hadn't done anything warranting arrest.) 'I'm not going to give you legal analysis on whether Gavin Newsom should be arrested, but he ought to be tarred and feathered,' Johnson said during a press conference in Washington, when asked about the fiery back-and-forth. 'The governor is now filing a lawsuit against the president. What a joke,' Johnson continued, referring to the lawsuit California filed Monday against the Trump administration's decision to unilaterally use the state's National Guard to respond to the protests. 'Do your job man, that's what I'd tell Gavin Newsom. Stop working on your rebranding. Be a governor. Stand up for the rule of law.' Tarring and feathering refers to a form of brutal mob violence made famous during the American Revolution, in which crowds would douse their enemies in hot tar and then cover them in feathers as a form of public punishment and humiliation. 'Good to know we're skipping the arrest and going straight for the 1700's style forms of punishment,' Newsom responded on X to the comment. 'A fitting threat given the @GOP want to bring our country back to the 18th Century.' As thousands of police officers, federalized National Guard troops, and Marines descend on Los Angeles in the face of the protests, leaders in both parties have engaged in a parallel effort to dominate the political framing of the crisis. Democrats like Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass argue that the Trump administration's aggressive immigration tactics — which have included large-scale raids and carrying out arrests at sensitive locations like courthouses and immigration offices — triggered the protests in the first place, a situation only made worse by the provocative decision to federalize the state's National Guard troops over the objection of local officials. 'This is chaos that was started in Washington,' Bass said Monday, accusing Trump of using Los Angeles as an 'experiment' to test how far he could go in seizing local power. Senator John Fetterman, meanwhile, accused his fellow Democrats of losing 'the moral high ground' when Democrats 'refuse to condemn setting cars on fire, destroying buildings, and assaulting law enforcement.' 'I unapologetically stand for free speech, peaceful demonstrations, and immigration—but this is not that,' he wrote on X. 'This is anarchy and true chaos.' On the other side, figures like White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller have framed these Democratic criticisms as a form of insurrection against federal authority. 'Los Angeles and California are demanding the nullification of the election results, of federal law, of national sovereignty, and of the bedrock constitutional command of one national government,' Miller wrote on X on Tuesday. President Trump has said he's open to invoking the Insurrection Act, which would mark yet another dramatic escalation in federal emergency powers being used, allowing active-duty military members to be involved in making arrests.
