(Feb. 24, 2026) – A developer presented plans for a new four-story building with 11 apartments and a small commercial space in downtown Ayer this week.
The Planning Board opened the public hearing for 63 Main Street, where the applicant is seeking site plan approval and a special permit for off-site parking. The project falls in the Downtown/Park Street Form-Based Code zoning, which was approved in 2019. This building is proposed next to the brown (former) P.N. Laggis building, where Revival Cutz Barbershop now operates. The Planning Board materials show the applicant plans to remove an existing parking lot.
The new apartments will be a mix of two bedrooms, one bedrooms and studios. While the architect sketches show an unfinished basement, the developer said this was being reviewed.
The developer said he considered building garage parking on the site, then decided to find parking off-site. It sounds like the developer may need 6 parking spaces and may lease these from 7 Depot Square. This is under .5 parking per residential unit in this zoning district, as approved at October 2025 Special Town Meeting.
This is the second four-story mixed-use building proposed downtown over the last year. The Planning Board also approved a project at 3-5 Park Street, which is nearby. This project also had an agreement to lease 6 spaces from 7 Depot Square. But in that case, the developer did propose some on-site parking spaces.
Watch the Planning Board Meeting Video
Watch the meeting video. The public hearing lasted about a half hour, starting at about 31 min, then was continued. This meeting is worth watching because of the visuals, combined with the pace of the questions and answers. It was easy to follow and you learn a lot for the time.