Consultant Sought for Joint Base Cape Cod Master Plan

December 13, 2024

Kelsey Schiller, 857-325-3477
kschiller@massdevelopment.com

CAPE COD, Mass. – This week, MassDevelopment issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for consultant services to support the development of a master plan for an approximately 7,000-acre area at Joint Base Cape Cod (JBCC) to identify current and future spatial needs of the base and plan for the redevelopment of surplus property. The master plan will build on previous planning efforts, including the 2013 JBCC Master Coordination Plan, which MassDevelopment led in partnership with JBCC, and aims to address the regional housing shortage and grow the local economy while supporting JBCC’s goal to optimize its operational efficiency while enabling critical current missions and accommodating future needs. MassDevelopment is leading this initiative in partnership with the Massachusetts National Guard Adjutant General and JBCC, and in cooperation with the Massachusetts Military Asset and Security Strategy Task Force (MASS-TF), which it co-chairs.

The Request for Proposals is available at: www.massdevelopment.com/rfps-and-rfqs. Responses are due February 7, 2025. Once selected, the consultant will engage in an anticipated two-year comprehensive planning process. The proposed scope of work includes the development of a robust community engagement strategy with multiple opportunities for public participation throughout the process.

“Our military installations are major economic drivers across Massachusetts, bringing jobs and investments into our state,” said Secretary of Economic Development Yvonne Hao. “In partnership with the Adjutant General and Joint Base Cape Cod, MassDevelopment will facilitate the development of a master plan that optimizes use of this critical state asset and paves the way for future housing development and job creation on the site.”

“Recognizing the importance of Joint Base Cape Cod to Massachusetts and beyond, MassDevelopment is pleased to assist the Massachusetts National Guard and base leaders to develop a master plan for the cantonment area,” said MassDevelopment President and CEO Navjeet Bal. “This initiative will build on the 2013 master coordination plan that the agency led, and will identify current and future spatial needs of the base and plan for the redevelopment of surplus property.”

MassDevelopment has been asked by The Adjutant General to develop the cantonment area master plan pursuant to the Military Bond Bill passed in 2014. The overall goals of the master plan are to support JBCC’s efforts to optimize the use of this critical state asset and increase its organizational efficiency for its ongoing military and support operations and to facilitate housing production and economic development on surplus properties, which are already developed and served by transportation and utility infrastructure, including wastewater.

“Joint Base Cape Cod and its 22,000 acres make up the largest military training installation in New England and is home to the Massachusetts Army National Guard, Massachusetts Air National Guard, US Coast Guard and US Space Force units which play pivotal roles in our nation’s defense. The base’s impact on the economy and on national defense will always be paramount to its relevancy,” said Maj. Gen. Gary W. Keefe, The Adjutant General, Massachusetts National Guard. “With future development in mind, I have asked MassDevelopment to look at opportunities for some of our surplus acreage usage which would possibly allow a closer relationship with our community partners, and potentially provide space for Governor Healey’s goal to secure more affordable housing while continuing to be compatible and supportive of the current and future military missions on Joint Base Cape Cod.”  

JBCC is a full-scale, joint-use base home to five military commands training for missions at home and overseas, conducting airborne search and rescue missions, and intelligence command and control. JBCC’s commands include the Massachusetts Army National Guard, the Massachusetts Air National Guard, Cape Cod Space Force Station, U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod, and U.S. Coast Guard Base Cape Cod.

The 2013 JBCC Master Coordination Plan established overall combined military and civilian building and land use plans; identified opportunities for optimization and efficiency; and created a framework for future non-military uses within the current boundaries of JBCC. The 2013 Plan makes short- and long-term high-level recommendations to coordinate the commands’ progress toward their own long-term mission needs,  each command having individually completed such a long-term plan immediately prior to the 2013 Plan, and presents multiple redevelopment alternatives that the cantonment area master plan seeks to detail, refine, and advance.

The Massachusetts Military Asset and Security Strategy Task Force was created in 2012 to protect and expand missions, jobs, and economic investments at and surrounding Massachusetts' military installations. Housed within the Office of the Governor and supported by the Executive Office of Economic Development and MassDevelopment, the MASS-TF coordinates among the state's military facilities to maximize their efficiency.

MassDevelopment, the state’s development finance agency and land bank, works with businesses, nonprofits, banks, and communities to stimulate economic growth across the Commonwealth. During FY2024, MassDevelopment financed or managed 349 projects generating investment of more than $3.5 billion in the Massachusetts economy. These projects are estimated to create or support 22,426 jobs and build or preserve 1,754 housing units.