Boston – The University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute has issued its fifth report touting the economic impacts of Devens, the 4,400-acre former U.S. Army base in north-central Massachusetts that MassDevelopment has redeveloped into a sustainable and thriving mixed-use community.
The UMass Donahue Institute report noted that Devens businesses, nonprofits, and governmental organizations employ more than 6,000 workers. In addition to these jobs, the economic activities of private and nonprofit entities in Devens supported employment of another 8,038 workers in Massachusetts. An estimated $2.3 billion in direct economic activity by private and nonprofit organizations in Devens supported additional spending of $1.5 billion in local supply chains for a total contribution of nearly $3.8 billion to the Massachusetts economy in 2019.
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.
“MassDevelopment is proud of the nearly 100 companies and organizations that have chosen Devens as their home and are powering the transformation of this former military base into a thriving mixed-use community and economic engine in the Commonwealth,” said MassDevelopment president and CEO Lauren Liss. “Devens’ central location, ready infrastructure, and fast-track permitting, and other amenities like housing, hotels, open space for recreation, and more continue to make it an attractive place for dynamic enterprises to locate and grow.”
“Over the years, the UMass Donahue Institute’s analyses of Devens have produced valuable metrics about our community’s economic activity and contributions,” said MassDevelopment executive VP Jessica Strunkin. “This latest report shows steady and continued growth in Devens that benefits north-central Massachusetts by creating high-paying jobs, increasing economic activity for existing regional businesses, and raising the economic profile of this beautiful and talent-filled region of the Commonwealth.”
