New Members
Following Request for Proposals, Agency Signs Letter of Intent for the Sale of 6.6-Acre Site at Adams Circle
Today, MassDevelopment announced it has signed a letter of intent with Metro West Collaborative Development, a nonprofit affordable housing developer, for the sale of a 6.6-acre site at Adams Circle in Devens. Metro West Collaborative Development intends to build 65 new apartments on the site.
The proposal is among the first housing developments made possible by the Mass Leads Act, which Gov. Maura Healey signed in November 2024. The legislation removed the longstanding cap that had limited Devens to 282 housing units, allowing MassDevelopment to seek developers for multiple parcels already zoned for housing, including Adams Circle.
“We’re building more housing in every part of Massachusetts so more people can afford to live in the communities they love,” said Governor Maura Healey. “Through the Mass Leads Act, we lifted the longstanding housing cap at Devens and opened the door to projects like this one. These 65 new apartments will help meet the region’s housing needs, support its growing workforce and give more people the opportunity to build their lives in Devens.”
The proposed multifamily development would include six buildings, with apartments for households earning between 30% and 80% of area median income. For its proposal, Metro West Collaborative Development partnered with Utile, Inc, an urban design and architecture firm, to develop the housing site plan for the Adams Circle site. The organization estimates construction of the buildings to occur from 2029-2031.
“Over the past 30 years, MassDevelopment has transformed Devens from a former military base into a vibrant, mixed-use community that attracts businesses, creates jobs and offers a great place to live,” said Economic Development Secretary Eric Paley, chair of MassDevelopment’s Board of Directors. “That success has brought more people to the region and increased the need for housing. The Mass Leads Act unlocked the opportunity to meet that demand, support the local workforce and continue strengthening the economic competitiveness of north central Massachusetts.”
In December 2025, MassDevelopment issued a Request for Proposals seeking interest from housing developers for residentially zoned sites on Adams Circle and Grant Road in Devens. The agency established an internal cross-departmental review committee to evaluate proposals, which recommended the proposal by Metro West Collaborative Development for the Adams Circle site. Proposals for the Grant Road site remain under review.
“Today marks an important step forward in MassDevelopment’s efforts to convert a vacant, residentially zoned parcel at Adams Circle into homes for people who want to live in Devens,” said MassDevelopment President and CEO Navjeet Bal. “We look forward to working with Metro West Collaborative Development and the Devens community to move this proposal from concept to reality.”
Established in 1991 and based in Newton, Mass., Metro West Collaborative Development works with MetroWest communities to expand housing opportunities by building and preserving affordable housing, helping families find and keep their homes, counseling community leaders to achieve their housing goals, and advocating for supportive affordable housing policy and investment. To date, the organization has built 205 affordable housing units and completed projects of similar scale to its Devens proposal, including Packard Street Commons in Hudson and Glen Brook Way in Medway. Currently, Metro West Collaborative Development is developing 43 affordable apartments at the former West Newton Armory. Metro West Collaborative Development is familiar with the Devens community as it has been providing affordable housing consulting services to the Assabet Regional Housing Consortium since 2013.
“We are grateful to MassDevelopment for this opportunity to bring 65 apartments and new residents to the Devens community and contribute to its continued evolution,” said Barney Heath, Executive Director of Metro West Collaborative Development. “We look forward to becoming an active and engaged member of the community for many years to come.”
MassDevelopment and Metro West Collaborative Development will finalize the terms of the sale as the project progresses through design and permitting. Devens offers a unique one-stop permitting process, with all applications acted on in less than 75 days and often in less than 45 days by the Devens Enterprise Commission.
“I’m pleased to see this affordable housing proposal move forward in Devens,” said Senator John J. Cronin. “This project will create new homes for working families and individuals across a range of incomes, while helping meet a critical housing need in our region. I’m grateful to MassDevelopment and Metro West Collaborative Development for their partnership and commitment to building a stronger, more affordable North Central Massachusetts.”
“Today marks a historic step forward for new housing at Devens, following the repeal of the housing cap in the 2024 Mass Leads Act,” said Senator Jamie Eldridge. “I am grateful for the leadership of MassDevelopment CEO Navjeet Bal and her team, and for their thoughtful work to advance new housing opportunities at Devens, including 65 affordable homes at Adams Circle. I am also excited to see MassDevelopment partnering with Metro West Collaborative Development, which has an excellent track record of building beautiful, truly affordable housing across Massachusetts. This announcement is yet another example of the Healey-Driscoll administration’s commitment to expanding housing opportunities across the Commonwealth, including here in the Nashoba Valley region.”
"I am excited to see this project move forward," said Representative Danillo Sena. "There is a great opportunity to construct new affordable housing in Devens, which is greatly needed in this region and across the state to meet our goals for reasonably priced housing. I thank Metro West Collaborative Development and MassDevelopment for their work on this important project, and I look forward to seeing more affordable housing in this community."
Located in north central Massachusetts, Devens is a 4,400-acre mixed-use community and an award-winning model for military base reuse. After serving as the U.S. Army’s New England headquarters for 79 years, Fort Devens was closed in 1996. Since then, MassDevelopment has worked to transform this site into a sustainable and thriving mixed-use community, providing municipal services, education, environmental protection, and infrastructure improvements to support continued redevelopment and job creation.
The Commonwealth and MassDevelopment have made it a priority to further increase housing production in Devens to address the regional and statewide housing shortage:
- In November 2024, Governor Healey signed the Mass Leads Act, which removed the cap on housing units allowed in Devens (the community was previously limited to a maximum of 282 housing units). This legislative change enabled MassDevelopment to seek developers for multiple parcels within Devens that were already zoned for housing, including Adams Circle.
- Accordingly, in December 2025, MassDevelopment issued Requests for Proposals for the disposition and development of residentially zoned sites on Adams Circle and Grant Road in Devens totaling approximately 69.3 acres.
- Additionally, the Mass Leads Act established the Devens Housing Working Group, which released a final report in May 2025 in support of additional housing production at Devens. The report recommended amending Devens’ zoning bylaws to allow for housing in the Innovation and Technology Center district.
- In February 2026, MassDevelopment announced the sale of approximately two acres of land at 25 Adams Circle to Reframe Systems Inc., which is developing 12 for-purchase townhomes in six duplexes on the site.
- In August 2026, MassDevelopment announced the sale of a parcel of land at 77 Grant Road together with a $4 million loan to a real estate development entity affiliated with Elite Home Builders LLC, which is building 46 new mixed-income apartments on the site.
