MassDevelopment chief abruptly resigns
Dan Rivera leaves after three years on the job
Dan Rivera abruptly resigned on Friday as chief executive officer of MassDevelopment, the state’s development finance agency and land bank, after three years on the job.
Rivera, who was the mayor of Lawrence before being appointed to the post by then-Governor
Charlie Baker, informed the MassDevelopment board that he was leaving, effective immediately.
“I am excited to pursue some personal opportunities that will allow me to continue to work in the development and transformation of cities and towns across the state,” Rivera said in a statement provided by the Executive Office of Economic Development.
In a separate statement, Secretary of Economic Development Yvonne Hao thanked Rivera for “his tenure and dedication to MassDevelopment.”
Hao, who is also the chair of the MassDevelopment board, said, “Under Dan’s leadership, the agency has funded key housing deals, created economic development opportunities in Gateway Cities, and promoted commercial development across the state.”
Contrarian Boston, the Substack newsletter, was first to report Rivera’s departure.
MassDevelopment board member and former Economic Development Secretary Dan O’Connell will serve as interim CEO while the quasi-public agency searches for a new leader.
MassDevelopment helps finance housing, cultural, and business development around the state. It also oversees the old Fort Devens, now an industrial park.
The Globe reported earlier this month that Rivera and the towns of Harvard, Shirley, and Ayer were at odds over how much housing to build at Devens. A cap of 282 units is currently in place.
The towns have proposed allowing the construction of 400 units on the site of a former barracks complex. The plans calls for 50 percent of the units to be condos, 25 percent to be rental apartments, and 25 percent to be rentals for elderly or residents with special needs. A quarter of the units would need to be affordable.
Rivera wanted to put the property out to bid without the restrictions, according to the Globe. Complicating the issue: Governor Maura Healey’s economic development bill includes a proposal to eliminate the Devens housing cap.