(Sept. 15, 2026) – Two MassDevelopment professionals met with the Ayer Select Board on Tuesday, sharing a presentation on Vicksburg Square. A recent assessment shows stabilization and hazardous materials abatement will cost an estimated $44 million. This doesn’t include any rebuilding costs.
MassDevelopment’s Executive Vice President of Devens Operations appeared in person at the Select Board meeting, with another professional from the real estate team leading the presentation via Zoom.
MassDevelopment is proposing that the towns of Ayer, Shirley and Harvard hold a Super Town Meeting on March 29, 2027. Under the Super Town Meeting process, each town would hold its own meeting on the same day. The MassDevelopment vice president said he was visiting the Ayer Select Board first and in coming weeks, will meet with the Harvard and Shirley select boards. MassDevelopment also shared its presentation with Devens residents in August.
A Few Points
Vicksburg Square was part of the Fort Devens military base, which closed in the 1990s. This is now the Devens Regional Enterprise Zone, which spans 4,400 acres across the historical boundaries of Ayer, Shirley and Harvard.
MassDevelopment manages the Devens Regional Enterprise Zone. Under the state legislation establishing the enterprise zone, MassDevelopment’s governance expires in 2033.
Vicksburg Square was designed to house hundreds of soldiers, but the former barrack buildings have all been closed for years.
These buildings stand in the Innovation & Technology District (ITC), where current zoning doesn’t allow housing. All three towns – Ayer, Shirley and Harvard – must approve a zoning change through the Super Town Meeting process.
From the Meeting Presentation
In 2025, the state convened a Housing Working Group which unanimously recommended residential uses be permitted in the Innovation & Technology District (ITC) and that building conditions reports for Vicksburg Square be updated in inform rezoning efforts. An assessment was conducted, with funding mostly through a grant from the Executive Office of Housing & Livable Communities.
The presentation showed Vicksburg Square is comprised of seven buildings, located on 20 acres within the Innovation & Technology (ITC) District. Most of this land falls within Ayer’s historical boundaries, according to the meeting discussion. There are four main buildings, former barracks, located between Rogers Field and Antietam Road.
Three of these structures were built in 1929 (Allen Hall, Knox Hall and Revere Hall) and the fourth one, Hale Hall, was built in 1940. All the buildings were designed in the Georgian Revival architectural style. All four buildings have been shuttered since the closure of Fort Devens; three in the 1990s and one in 2006.
A few points from the presentation:
$44 million. The total estimated abatement and stabilization cost is $44 million, including $9.5 million in estimated costs for hazardous material abatement. This includes costs for all seven buildings, including the four main structures, plus Washington Hall and BOQs.
$24.4 million. Demolishing all seven buildings would cost an estimated $24.4 million.
Allen Hall. With failed porch enclosures, mold and advanced deterioration, Allen Hall accounts for nearly 40 percent of the costs and is in imminent danger of further deterioration. Revere & Knox Halls are in similar conditions with advanced levels of deterioration.
Prior to this, the last building assessment was conducted in 2017. Back then, the estimated costs of stabilizing the four main buildings was $8.9 million. In 2026, the estimated cost is $31.3 million.
The three Ayer Select Board members each shared comments or asked the MassDevelopment professional questions. Two Ayer residents also asked questions.
When asked where the funding will come from, the professional said MassDevelopment is currently reviewing potential state funding opportunities.