Atkins North Grand Opening 9/12
When you have an exceedingly tight housing market and a pitifully small commercial tax base (under 10%) the old saying, "If you build it ..." easily applies.
Presidential Apartments, North Amherst on schedule for September 1st move in
But when you're a "college town" the window of opportunity -- even is you are not directly targeting college aged youth -- is open wide until early August. After that everyone is settled in for the year.
Amherst Office Park mixed use addition on schedule for September 1st opening
Kendrick Place seemingly on schedule for September 1st opening
Amherst College Greenway Dorm project opening September, 2016
Olympia Place private dorms opening September, 2016
And the number of public safety personnel added to accommodate this growth = zero.
ReplyDeleteI seem to remember this blog being critical of NIMBY's.
ReplyDeleteIsn't this like trying to keep the bears away by laying out doughnuts?
Whatever that was requires its own special font.
ReplyDeleteWe need progress…this ain't 68 no more. Diversify the tax base and ease the burden on us homeowners. Do as near-by cities and towns have done: keep business areas localized leaving the citizenry in quiet neighborhoods. Although Hadley is not a sterling example outside of route 9 it is a rural agricultural town with low-ass taxes (thank you big business). They planned and capitalized where we did not. U-Dr should be our whore. Instead we have?? Assisted living and small-tike strip malls. Sigh
ReplyDeleteSix different building projects at the same time of which five are private developments and four of which are housing facilities (yes, one is a college dorm) and people on this blog complain that Amherst is anti-business. Please explain.
ReplyDeleteExplanation for Anon 7/30 8:53: The < 10% commercial tax base in Amherst. You clearly haven't been to any Town Meetings as the anti-business sentiment at those is so thick you couldn't cut it with a chainsaw.
ReplyDeleteHi Rene @8:53
ReplyDeleteOne word explanation: Archipelago
Thank you Kyle and Dave
Fiscally speaking only:
ReplyDeleteCan someone please explain the perceived need for "commercial" tax base as Massachusetts (virtually alone among Massachusetts municipalities) has IDENTICAL residential and commercial property tax rates. Do non-residential, commercial developments require fewer town services, and so have a higher net tax benefit to the town?
And as for residential, I have to wonder if it's cheaper to police student housing than it is to pay for schools and "recreation" for the breeders. If so we should really focus on as much private student housing as possible and make new housing as un-family-friendly as possible.
Cost benefit analysis please.