Más Mexicano

 Mission Cantina 485 West Street, South Amherst

Although Form Based Zoning, an attempt to stimulate development and create a village center, did not pass muster at Town Meeting for the Atkins Corner in deep South Amherst, the commercial area about a mile north of there is doing just fine--and this new restaurant in particular is thriving.

Mission Cantina opened last summer nestled in the spot formerly occupied by Andiamo and ever since then the parking lot is routinely full. The Mexican restaurant goes before the zoning board on June 7 to seek permission to expand into the adjacent space formerly occupied by South Amherst Liquor Mart who sold their assets to Cousins Market in the center of town last year.

Currently the restaurant only has four tables so, unless you arrive at 4:00 PM opening, waiting is all but guaranteed.  But the expansion should alleviate that. And a bit of competition perhaps.

Because meanwhile, a sombrero throw away, El Comalito, another Mexican restaurant, prepares to open in the old space formerly occupied by Latinos.  Mission Cantina has already proven that customers will flock to South Amherst like it's the American Southwest, so perhaps another offering will only enhance that atmosphere of a culinary destination place.

El Comalito 460 West Street, South Amherst

When Seconds Matter

AFD Ladder Truck #1

One critical component of war that has not changed since the dawn of civilization is the advantage of occupying the high ground--the quicker the better.  A major structure fire is a formidable foe where warlike strategies are brought to bear for a quick decisive victory, that oftentimes can make a life or death difference.

Ladder Truck #1 is like a big ol' battleship: a formidable tool for dealing with a formidable enemy...but, she requires lots of maneuvering room and a firm ground for footing.

A dozen years ago when the downtown Boltwood Walk Parking Garage war raged (yes, politics is also warlike)  one of the details NIMBYs pounced upon was the public safety concern that AFD could not maneuver the ladder truck over most of the new garage if an underground component was added.  

Town officials came up with simple plan for the ladder truck to get to the adjacent Clark House, a six story structure operated by the Amherst Housing Authority, loaded with senior citizens and folks with physical handicaps.  

Artisans beveled the curb at the Main Street garage entrance 20 feet across to allow a large heavy vehicle to easily pass up and over, and granite pavers were supposed to be sprinkled throughout the lawn area to add stability so that a firetruck would not get stuck.

Curb beveled to allow easy vehicular access but no pavers added to greenway

Fast forward to today.  The pavers were never installed, two "Handicapped Parking" signs are now a direct obstruction and a ginkgo tree was recently planted that years from now may also be in the way (although all firetrucks carry a chainsaw).

 Signs need to go, large tree (center) needs branches pruned back

Clark House southern end 

Adjacent Ann Whalen Apartments are more easily accessible via Kellogg Avenue and using the parking lot the ladder truck could get to the halfway point of Clark House, but not the southernmost end

Rear side Ann Whalen (right) and northern side Clark House (left) which combined contain 180 units of affordable housing for the elderly, disabled and low income families

As it currently stands the ladder truck can only get to the southern end of Clark House with great difficulty because of two extra, time consuming 90 degree turns. Town officials or the Amherst Redevelopment Authority need to revert back to the original more efficient safety plan. Soon.

Yes, both apartment complexes are sprinklered--but then, so were the Twin Towers. And we already saw the horrific results of innocent civilians having to chose between death by fire, or death by fall.

Undercover Boss

Sharon Sharry, Jones Library Director

Today rookie Jones Library Director Sharon Sharry took up front line duties serving on the circulation desk to fill in for employees being trained for a new computer check out system, but also as a means of meeting the bookloving general public.

Meanwhile the Jones has on display plans for the downstairs Woodbury Room, a renovation that will start in July and should be completed by summer's end.

 

Yes for preservation

Amherst Town Meeting managed to muster in a surprisingly easy fashion the difficult two-thirds vote required to pass a zoning bylaw article, creating The Dickinson Historic District in and around the most famous abode in town--the Dickinson Homestead, ancestral home to our beloved reclusive poet Emily Dickinson. ("Miss Emily" to friends, family and close loyal employees.)

On another note, Town Meeting  passed almost unanimously a resolution calling for the town not to support the Federal Secure Communities Act.  (Miss Emily rolled her eyes.)

A Historic Decision

Tonight Town Meeting will decided the fate of the most historic neighborhood in Amherst, choosing to preserve forever the look and feel of the sacred Dickinson Homestead and immediate surrounding area, or allowing the creative whims of any owner who buys a piece of our collective core.

Henry Hills House built 1863

Leonard Hills House, built 1864 

Two ultra prime building lots on Main Street below Henry Hills House

The Hills Houses built by father and son, designed by architect William Fenno Pratt

First Congregational Church (center)  opposes historic district restrictions

Tacky signs like this (on left) would be regulated by Historic District rules--but they probably are now anyway

Railroad Street Station, built 1853

The Evergreens, home to Austin Dickinson, built 1856

All's Quiet...

Downtown Amherst at peace

For the first time in my short memory covering this beat, Amherst Police made no arrests over the weekend: nothing for noise, open container, unlicensed kegs, nuisance house, underage drinking, and--most thankfully---no drunk drivers.

And it's not like the town had reverted back to prehistoric agrarian times before the founding of UMass/Amherst, as the traveling fair was in town center and Amherst and Hampshire Colleges both had graduation ceremonies.

Amherst Fire Department runs to our institutes of higher education--usually major customers--were sparse.  But calls to the town and surrounding towns were about average, meaning busy.

Another Summer Sign

Azalea bushes, Snell Street