Since November 2014, a group of residents has been analyzing Harvard’s commercial district in an effort to create a comprehensive set of design guidelines for future development. The group, the Commercial Design Guidelines Task Force, is set to present its findings and ideas at a Thursday, March 10, meeting.
Planning Board Vice Chairwoman Erin McBee, who led the task force, said the group was charged with creating design guidelines to encourage a cohesive look for the town’s commercial district. In addition to McBee, the group comprises Town Planner Bill Scanlan and residents Rich Maiore, Suzanne Dutkewych, Wendy Cote-Magan, Jim Lee, Al Coombs, and Rochelle Greayer.
McBee said the members were asked to join the task force for their varying “professional and volunteer backgrounds,” citing their involvement in the fields of architecture, economic development, landscape design, real estate, property development, and parks and recreation.
In its design guidelines document, which is available via a link on the Planning Board homepage of the town website, the task force suggests a number of ways to create a more attractive pedestrian and bicycle friendly commercial district, which is located on Ayer Road north of Route 2. One such idea is to decrease the current structural setback from 125 feet to a range of 20 to 50 feet back from the front lot line.
“The current setback is fairly far from the road and encourages placement of parking lots in the front of the buildings,” wrote McBee in an email to the Press. “The proposed change would allow buildings to be built closer to the road, which will highlight a building’s architectural character and place the unappealing asphalt parking lots away from the primary view of the site.”
The suggested change will be presented by the Planning Board as an amendment to Harvard’s zoning bylaws at Annual Town Meeting on April 5. McBee noted that the Planning Board held a public hearing on the topic on Feb. 22, but the hearing will continue at the March 7 Planning Board meeting.
Better interaction with developers
McBee also envisions the town using the design guidelines to facilitate more interaction between the town and developers.
“A design review board would review the preliminary ideas and give [developers] feedback on what the town would find acceptable,” wrote McBee. “We think that this will achieve a higher quality of development and help assure residents that a project will be an asset to the town.”
Following the March 10 meeting, task force members will be available to “discuss how the guidelines can help achieve better design in commercial development,” McBee noted. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. in Volunteers Hall at the library.
For the complete guidelines document, go to harvard.ma.us, click on Committees/Boards and then click on the Planning Board link. You’ll find a link to the guidelines on the Planning Board homepage.
