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MassDevelopment Partners with Award-Winning Physical AI Company to Accelerate Missing-Middle Housing Production
DEVENS, Mass. – Today, MassDevelopment announced the sale of approximately two acres of land at 25 Adams Circle in Devens to Reframe Systems, Inc., which will develop six for-purchase duplexes (totaling 12 housing units) on the site. Reframe is a Massachusetts-based physical AI company automating the homebuilding process to address the housing crisis. Each of the 12 units will be approximately 2,100 square feet in size, feature four bedrooms and three full bathrooms, and be designed to Efficient New Homes standards. Three units will be income-restricted as required by the Devens Reuse Plan.
Reframe Systems uses robotics and advanced automation to fabricate high-performance building components at its Andover production facility, enabling site preparation and manufacturing to happen in parallel, dramatically reducing construction timelines. Interior finishes, landscaping, and remaining on-site construction will be completed after installation. There are six modules per unit, which would be delivered and assembled in a single day. The first four homes are expected to be completed in July 2026, with the remaining eight delivered between August and October 2026. The proposed development is intended as further demonstration of the technology and construction methods, which have potential application statewide to accelerate housing production and increase affordability. Reframe has completed two accessory dwelling units (ADUs) in Arlington and Woburn and is assembling two three-unit multifamily houses in Somerville.
“Reframe reflects the strength of Massachusetts’ advanced manufacturing capabilities,” said Economic Development Secretary Eric Paley, who serves as chair of MassDevelopment’s Board of Directors. “By applying robotics and innovative construction to homebuilding, they are helping tackle one of our biggest challenges: producing more housing quickly, affordably, and sustainably to support long-term competitiveness.”
“The Healey-Driscoll Administration has made it a priority to transform surplus state land into new housing, and this project is a successful example of this cross-government initiative,” said Ed Augustus, Secretary of Housing and Livable Communities. “It’s all hands on deck to increase housing production in Massachusetts, and we are glad that MassDevelopment is seizing the opportunity to create more housing for the growing community at Devens.”
“MassDevelopment looks forward to welcoming these cutting-edge new homes to Adams Circle in Devens, a residential neighborhood poised for growth in the coming years following significant infrastructure investment from our team,” said MassDevelopment President and CEO Navjeet Bal. “Reframe Systems is the latest enterprise looking to Devens as a proving ground to turn their innovative ideas into real solutions for Massachusetts, joining forward-thinking companies in climate tech, manufacturing, and other industries that are already making history here.”
“We're honored to partner with MassDevelopment to bring climate-resilient, high-performance housing to Devens,” said Vikas Enti, CEO and Co-Founder of Reframe Systems. “This project demonstrates how robotic automation and local production can deliver missing-middle housing at the speed and scale Massachusetts needs. By manufacturing these resilient homes in our Andover facility and assembling them on-site in a single day, we're proving that quality, affordability, and rapid delivery don't have to be trade-offs. This is exactly the kind of replicable model we need to tackle the housing crisis, not just in Massachusetts, but nationwide."
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 into law 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 enables MassDevelopment to seek developers for multiple parcels within Devens that are already zoned for housing. Accordingly, in December 2025, MassDevelopment issued Requests for Proposals for the disposition and development of multiple residentially zoned sites in Devens totaling approximately 69.3 acres, including at Adams Circle, a site located directly west of Reframe’s proposed development, and Grant Road. Additionally, the Mass Leads Act also established the Devens Housing Working Group to determine a strategy for increased housing production elsewhere in Devens, including in the Innovation and Technology Center zoning district, with the group releasing a final report in May 2025 that recommended amending local zoning bylaws to allow for housing in that district.
“It is great to see MassDevelopment and Devens continuing to lead by example,” said Neil Angus, Director/Land Use Administrator of the Devens Enterprise Commission. “Under its unified and expedited permitting system, the Devens Enterprise Commission (DEC) permitted Reframe’s project in 59 days. The Reframe team, along with MassDevelopment, created a plan that took advantage of the DEC’s Innovative Residential Development regulations and resulted in a compact cluster development that combines low-impact development techniques with energy and water efficient building design that preserves more open space. The efficiency of Reframe’s modular construction techniques is directly in line with the DEC’s embodied carbon reduction guidelines and will result in an even more efficient and sustainable development. Reframe’s project also includes a mix of market-rate and affordable units that will serve as a model for the ‘missing middle’ and provide more diverse housing options for people in Massachusetts.”
MassDevelopment, the state’s development finance agency and land bank, delivers financing solutions, real estate expertise, and other assistance to strengthen and grow the Massachusetts economy. We partner with businesses, nonprofits, developers, banks, and municipalities, providing resources to help create jobs, build housing, and foster vibrant communities across the state. During FY2025, MassDevelopment financed or managed 409 projects generating investment of more than $4.65 billion in the Massachusetts economy. These projects are estimated to create or support 25,246 jobs and build or preserve 2,867 housing units.
