Ayer Planning Board approves senior center site plan, splits 3-2 on housing traffic study

AYER -- June 9, 2026, Ayer Planning Board approves senior center and pharmacy parking lot, requires traffic study for nine-unit housing project. The board voted unanimously Tuesday to approve a site plan and major stormwater management permit for a proposed 13,000-square-foot senior center at 0 Bishop Road, conditioned on MEPA and MESA approval and a requirement that the town address traffic sightlines and signage at the Bishop Road-Park Street intersection before occupancy. The board also unanimously approved a 10-space parking lot expansion for Ayer Family Pharmacy at 7-15 Park Street after granting four waivers from the town's parking and landscaping standards. On a nine-unit multifamily proposal at 20 Groton-Harvard Road, the board split 3-2 to deny a waiver from the traffic study requirement after Police Chief Brian Gill formally recommended the study, citing queuing concerns at the busy four-way stop at Groton-Harvard Road and Central Avenue; the application was continued to July 14 to allow the applicant to retain a traffic engineer.