On June 6th, MassDevelopment, in cooperation with Transformations, Inc., broke ground on a new sustainable development in Devens, Mass. The overall goal is to provide affordable, yet sustainable housing for residents of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The development, known as the Devens Green Housing Project, will be comprised of eight homes that will generate as much energy as they use, while refuting the common belief that eco-friendly homes are only exclusive to those with deep pockets.

R. Carter Scott, President of Transformations, Inc., the developers of the subdivision, spoke first at the groundbreaking. He began by saying that the true economic drivers that have fueled the take-off of zero-energy developments were the raising of the tax credit for solar energy from $2,000 to $14,000 and the lowering of the price of PVC cells (otherwise known as solar cells). These two factors were crucial in minimizing the costs so that zero-energy homes are “not just for the exclusive.” Mr. Scott also called upon the whole country, developers and homeowners, to look at this development as an example of what should be done throughout the nation.

Marty Jones, the newly appointed President and CEO of MassDevelopment, also spoke at the ceremony, celebrating the cooperation between local, state, and federal forces, including Governor Deval Patrick’s Solar Energy Committee, to which Mr. Scott contributes. In looking forward, Ms. Jones hopes that the Devens Green Housing Project serves as a model for fellow communities in the northeast to follow. She went on to state that in an economy such as this, creating both homes and jobs is an important task–one which this project executes impressively. She also stated that the overall goal of the project is to bring economic development and sustainable housing to the Devens community and that this process was replicated exponentially in the future. For a glimpse at what was said, please view the video below.

This is the first of hopefully many more Zero-Energy developments developed by MassDevelopment, a state-funded organization that “works with businesses, nonprofits, financial institutions, and communities to stimulate economic growth across the Commonwealth.”

For more information, visit

http://soldnew.com/pages/devens_green

or http://www.massdevelopment.com/real-estate-development/development-projects/devens/.

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