Ayer Road Planning Framework Project

LATEST PROJECT NEWS
Page Updated 15 NOV. 2023

 

NEW: Please see project informational resources below including the latest version of the Full Strategy Report, all of the two-pager handouts, and various reports that speak to the merits of this project. The RFI response files have been retained so that visitors can see the type of firm that Harvard could retain. They are also filled with example graphics of projects that were completed by respondents.

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NEW Please see links to new handouts on amenities (#9) and sustainability (#10) below.

INTRODUCTION

This page is dedicated to research and planning related to the Ayer Road commercial corridor in Harvard. This planning area extends from just north of the Route 2 interchange along Ayer Road to just south of the Town of Ayer Border. Much of this corridor is zoned Commercial (C) and currently permits a development density of 0.10 FAR or 10% of the land area in square feet. Master Plans for Harvard dating back to the 1980s have all identified this corridor as a priority development area and a number of action items have been formulated relating to the area. The Planning Board has adopted a Draft Planning Framework in 2019 (updated in 2020) for the corridor and discussions with the Select Board have been ongoing relating to adopting the Framework as official Town policy. The following tables provide key resources for the project and will be updated regularly, as appropriate. To readers, it is suggested that you begin with the Corridor Planning Framework as your first step and at the very least read the Executive Summary. See the thumbnail below entitled Full Strategy Report. For a quick summary, check out the Two-Page Summary below. The remaining thumbnail images are detailed summary reports on specific issues the Two-Page Summary touches upon.

From there, you may wish to dive into the responses to a Request for Information we conducted last year in order to gauge interest on the part of consultants to work with Harvard on this type of project. You can see these RFI responses in the table below. Initially you may wish to read the RFI document below to gauge the specific elements that were sought from RFI responses. At that point, you should be well prepared to read through the individual RFI submittals listed below.

PROJECT INFORMATION HANDOUTS

Two-Page Summary

Two-Page Summary

Current

Current Situation

Solution

The Harvard Solution

Market

Market & Fiscal Data

Vision

Citizen Visioning

Strategy Document

Full Strategy Report

Zoning

From Vision to Reality

Legacy

The Legacy of Planning

ROI

Return on Investment

Smart

Smart Growth Approach

Please see a variety of reports and other resources at the bottom of the page. Just below this section you will find the Request For Information (RFI) from consulting firms who would be interested in working on this project with the Town.

RFI RESPONSES

The following documents were submitted in response to the Town's Request for Information (RFI) issued on August 28, 2020 for the Ayer Road Corridor Vision Plan Project. The last entry is the actual RFI document used to solicit the responses.

Document or LinkDateFile Type/Info for Download
DPZ Co. Design Team9/28/2020Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) 12.83 MB
Utile Design Team

9/28/2020

Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) 14.16 MB

Houseal Lavigne Team9/28/2020

Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) 54.11 MB

McCabe & IPI Placemaking Team9/28/2020

Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) 0.98 MB

Town Planning & Urban Design Collaborative Team9/28/2020

Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) 18.33 MB

Smart Growth America Response9/28/2020

Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) 0.47 MB

Stantec Team9/28/2020

Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) 11.81 MB

Dodson & Flinker Team*9/28/2020

Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) 5.48 MB

Request for Interest (RFI)8/28/2020

Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) 0.45 MB

* Dodson & Flinker Team example projects portfolio have not been uploaded due to the number and size of files. Please contact Chris Ryan at cryan@harvard-ma.gov to arrange an alternative means of obtaining these files.

GENERAL RESOURCES

Document or LinkDateFile Type/Info for Download
Ayer Road Corridor Planning Framework (v.8.3)2022Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) 1.21 MB
Final Economic Development Analysis Team (EDAT) Report2010Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) 3.26 MB
Fiscal Impact Action Team (FIAT) Report2009Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) 372 KB
2016 Master Plan Chapter 5 - Harvard's Economy2017Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) 997 KB
2016 Harvard Master Plan (includes chapters on Economic Development, Land Use, Transportation, and more related to corridor.2017Click for Link
Form-Based Codes Resource Page2019Click for Link
2002 Master Plan2002Click for Link