MassDevelopment
MassDevelopment, the state’s finance and development agency, was created by a merger of the Government Land Bank and the Massachusetts Industrial Finance Agency. From that merger, MassDevelopment became responsible for the redevelopment of Devens, the former U.S. Army base in Central Massachusetts, which the Land Bank had purchased when Fort Devens closed in 1996.
Since then, MassDevelopment has worked to transform this 4,400-acre site into a sustainable and thriving mixed-use community. The base’s closure caused a loss of 7,000 military and civilian jobs. Thanks to financial support from the Commonwealth, strategic approaches to infrastructure and permitting, and the community’s central location, Devens is home to more than 950 residents and 100 businesses, nonprofits, and government organizations that employ approximately 10,000 workers.
At its offices at 33 Andrews Parkway, MassDevelopment provides municipal services, education, environmental protection, and infrastructure improvements to support the continued development of the community. The agency also coordinates closely with leaders at the still-active Devens Reserve Forces Training Area, since renamed Fort Devens, which provides training capabilities and base operations support to the U.S. Armed Forces across New England.
