Thursday, May 30, 2013

Amherst In Bloom

Snell Street Rhododendrons

As we head towards a quaint New England summer, made less so by the lack of a July 4 Parade, Amherst becomes a different town. Especially now that our number one employer, UMass/Amherst, is on hiatus. Friendlier, more intimate, and a l-o-t less busy.

And prettier (well, mostly).

 Having just taken down one Kellogg Avenue Pin Oak the church decided to trim the remaining two

400 of these (for the birds) NIMBY stop signs have sprouted all over Amherst

11 Phillips Street sprouts weeds

621 East Pleasant Street sprouts tents

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hmm, all over town? They're not NIMBY signs then. They are a reflection of how lots of people feel about this ill-advised project.

Larry Kelley said...

"There but for the grace of God ..."

Maybe I should have said "orchestrated by NIMBYs."

Anonymous said...

Hey, maybe we could build a large apartment complex for students in South Amherst...

HAHAHAHA. Never going to happen. The wealthy residents of that side of town apparently don't want their area developed, any more than the middle- and working-class families in North Amherst do.

Larry Kelley said...

Actually Nitwit, we have the highest concentration of apartment complexes in the entire town already.

Anonymous said...

Or you could get it right and a say over 400 signs including those on Chestnut, South Pleasant, South East, Trillium, Belchertown Road and others.

Orchestrate? I think not. Displaying a sign was an individual choice not unlike the one you are entitled to make by not having one.

Democracy not Dicatate

Anonymous said...

Where are the complexes off Old Farm Road, Station Road, South East St, Middle Street and the rest of that section of town?

Anonymous said...

Yeah, we keep hearing about the "anti-student" sentiment and how badly we make them feel but any year-round resident I talk to readily admits he/she doesn't go near downtown until summer. A neighbor just said to me yesterday, "That's when we get our town back and can enjoy it ourselves".

Larry Kelley said...

Actually CAN 12:25 p.m.

When you take property by eminent domain in order to kill a development deal between two private entities, that's not "democracy"-- it's "socialism."

Anonymous said...

So funny, I didn't even know to what your were referring with CAN. I had to ask someone.

And by the way, "Private property for Public Use"...enough said.

Larry Kelley said...

Housing is also considered "public use."

Far more needed now than a walking trail.

Anonymous said...

Nobody is questioning whether or not we need housing, residents are questioning one persons lone decision about it's location (or democracy at work as Larry calls it.) Obviously Cinda could not decide on her own that land on Old farm Road, Station Road, etc. would be the best place to develop, and so she sees the land she owns as the best possible location "for the town". And I don't doubt that she truly believes the land she inherited is the best location for the development. But 400 signs all over town... and that's just the residents who put a sign up, not all who oppose the retreat. View it as a pollster would.

Larry Kelley said...

Actually I'm going to send each and every one of the 400 a bill for $15,000 to cover the cost of taking the land.

Anonymous said...

"Where are the complexes off Old Farm Road, Station Road, South East St, Middle Street and the rest of that section of town?"

You mean in East Amherst? Live here a little longer and you can learn your way around.

Anonymous said...

"Where are the complexes off Old Farm Road, Station Road, South East St, Middle Street and the rest of that section of town?"

"You mean in East Amherst? Live here a little longer and you can learn your way around."

Ha,ha,ha,I've lived 'here' long enough (unless you don't think over 60 years is long enough) to know that those areas are not in East Amherst. As a matter of fact, the term East Amherst wasn't even around then newbie!

Anonymous said...

It used to be called East Village, if you look at some maps, and some contemporary maps still mark it as East Village.

Anonymous said...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Village_Historic_District_(Amherst,_Massachusetts)

Anonymous said...

"Anon 9:26 PM

It used to be called East Village, if you look at some maps, and some contemporary maps still mark it as East Village.

Anon 12.31 A

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Village_Historic_District_(Amherst,_Massachusetts)
"And is borderd by N and S East St, Main and College St"
None of which are those I asked about.



Like I said,the term "East Amherst" wasn't even around...and East Village was/is a different animal.
Speaking of maps and places some of us still refer to...do you ever go by Fiddler's Green, Haskin's Flats or Hypotenuse Way, newbie?

Do you say "Noho" too?

Dr. Ed said...

Folks, prior to 1855, you had to have both a Congregational Church and a minister to become a town. What is now the JCA was once the 2nd Cong Church and would have eventually have become the center of a new town but for disestabilishment.