By Sara Withee
(Sept. 10, 2026) – The Conservation Commission reviewed two major projects on Fitchburg Road and Groton School Road at Thursday’s meeting.
65 Fitchburg Road. The Conservation Commission voted 5-0 to approve an Order of Conditions for a Notice of Intent (NOI) for 65 Fitchburg Road, where the Ayer Commons development is being planned. This is related to wetlands.
In April, the Affordable Housing Committee received an update on the Ayer Commons project. According to the April 24, 2026 meeting minutes, there had been a few updates to the project. These were being reviewed to see if additional ZBA action was required. We have not seen a public hearing notice posted yet.
In July, the developer submitted application materials with the Conservation Commission seeking approvals related to the wetlands. There was a notable change: the developer is no longer proposing a sewer connection behind the future buildings, over a stream crossing over an intermittent stream along bordering vegetated wetland to John Riley Road, a residential cul-de-sac. This scenario was discussed during the ZBA permitting process in 2022 and 2023.
The developer can now connect to sewer on Fitchburg Road. The Town of Ayer was awarded a $500,000 grant to extend sewer down Fitchburg Road last November (source: state website).
Groton School Road Culvert
Then on Thursday, the Conservation Commission began discussing the Groton School Road Culvert project and scheduled a site walk with the project consultant. On June 10, 2020, the Ayer DPW reported it had been out inspecting culverts in coordination with the Nashua River Watershed Association through a grant. This culvert had received a poor inspection rating (Town of Ayer Select Board meeting minutes). That August, the DPW made a temporary repair.
Now, the Ayer DPW and its project consultant have filed a Notice of Intent filing.
This culvert is currently about 8 feet wide and will be expanded to 22 feet wide in coming years, according to the meeting discussion. The wooden footbridge will be removed during this project and replaced with a standard sidewalk, the project consultant said. This project is some time away. It’s currently being planned as a 2028 project, the town engineer said at the meeting.
This project will provide further space for stream flows and wildlife movement as well as increase flood storage capacity at this site, according to the NOI filing. Here is a link to the town’s web page with plans going before the Conservation Commission: https://www.ayer.ma.us/1093/Projects—Current-Projects-and-Plans.
In January 2026, we wrote this article about the Capital Planning Committee process, including updates on the Groton School Road culvert and the Groton School Road Pump Station.
Ayer News attended this meeting to ask questions for this coverage.