Status of Coast Guard Housing On Pine Hill About to Change

By Kim Siebert MacPhail

Selectmen Margot Fleischman reported that Colonel Lester Weilacher, Jr., Commander of Hanscom Air Force Base, arranged a “very helpful meeting” with Captain Timothy Heitsch, Commander of the Boston Coast Guard Base, to discuss the disposition of the Coast Guard housing on Pine Hill Road.

“It was a very useful discussion and a step forward in getting some clearer lines of communication between ourselves and the Coast Guard regarding what’s going to happen to the housing,” Fleischman said. “It does look as if it is in the process of being turned over to the US General Services Administration (GSA) [in the next few months] for discharge from [Coast Guard] ownership.”

Selectman Bill Moonan added that about a year and a half ago, he looked into the matter as well.

“I’m thrilled to hear about the progress. I was trying to talk to the Coast Guard about what they’re doing with the buildings and was informed that they were ‘studying’ the issue and they’d get back to us in the spring of 2012. At that time, our US Representative John Tierney was a great help in getting them to talk to us and to respond. By the way, the Coast Guard did say to me that they would hand off real estate like this at full market value.

“I know there’s a lot of desire in this town to have at least some of that property made available on an affordable basis,” Moonan continued. “I wonder if we, as Selectmen, might want to get involved with Mr. Tierney’s office again in trying to make sure that the GSA pays some attention to that desire.”

Fleishman said that it seems as though the disposition of the property might be hierarchical, meaning that other government branches would have first refusal.

It would go down from federal to state level before the Town would be involved. We’d be near last, before the public,” she said.

“The VA might gobble it up,” Selectmen Rosenberg added. “Or Massport.”

“The idea is that this gives us the opportunity to open a discussion,” said Chair Cathy Cordes. “We certainly could include our representative if we wanted to do something at a federal level, if we wanted to move up the food chain.”

“We shared with Captain Heitsch that the Town, in general, favored affordable housing—that this was an attractive location because [it’s near] transportation and the center of town— and we’re very pleased that he has let us know [about the status of the property],” Cordes continued. “He agreed to continue to be helpful. He offered his office if we wanted to look at the property—his office is still in control and still has the keys.”

Fleischman added that the Coast Guard would maintain and secure the property through the entire period, even though the final determination of the property would come through the GSA.

Moonan said the Housing Authority has confirmed its interest in being involved in the management and distribution of the property, if and when the time comes.

View images of Bedford’s Coast Guard Housing neighborhood.