Gov. Deval Patrick signed legislation Wednesday creating a new agency to take charge of the SouthField redevelopment spanning 1,400 acres in Abington, Rockland and Weymouth.

Development has languished at the former South Weymouth Naval Air Station since it closed in 1997. The South Shore Tri-Town Development Corp. was created by the legislature in 1998 to recruit developers and build infrastructure needed to support commercial and residential development, but only several hundred apartments have been built in the last 16 years.

The law sets up a new agency, Southfield Redevelopment Authority, to oversee the redevelopment. It also gives the three towns tax revenues from development on each community’s portion of the property and makes them responsible for providing municipal services.

The legislation was supported by Starwood Land Ventures, which took over as master developer of the property in 2013 when it acquired LNR Property Corp.

The current redevelopment plan calls for up to 2,855 residential units and 2 million square feet of commercial space.