The Planning Board and the consultants it hired to create the second part of a three-part study on developing the town’s commercial district will host a public workshop, via Zoom, Tuesday, Feb. 13, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. According to the board’s invitation, which is posted on the town website, “All questions, comments, and ideas are welcome.”
The Ayer Road Vision Plan, paid for with a $250,000 state grant, is being written in three phases. Its purpose is to guide the town on how best to develop the town’s commercial district on Ayer Road, which now consists largely of office space.
Phase 1 was completed last February by Weitzman Associates. It analyzed the real estate market and fiscal impact of development and recommended small-scale mixed-use development as the most appropriate option for Harvard.
Phase 2, now underway by Boston-based design firm Utile, will further explore the findings of phase 1 with additional market research and input from Harvard residents as to the kinds of businesses they prefer and how they’d like Ayer Road to look. The Feb. 13 workshop will be the board’s second one; the first workshop was held last November.
The study’s third and final phase will be a rewrite of the commercial zoning that will be based on the conclusions of the first two parts of the study. The town’s existing commercial zoning, the Weitzman report had said, encourages suburban sprawl. The zoning will be rewritten in form-based code, which regulates development according to physical form instead of by use. It is supposed to encourage more predictable results than use-based zoning.
Phase 2 is expected to be complete in the coming month; the code rewrite is scheduled to be done by June 30.
To get the Zoom link, go to www.harvard-ma.gov/planning-board and look for “Important News.” For more information, write to Harvard’s director of planning, Frank O’Connor, at FOConnor@harvard-ma.gov or call 978-456-4100, ext. 423.
