If You Zone It ...

South Prospect Street

 

The Planning Board approved 1.5 of 3 petition articles all seeking to change zoning from limited business (BL) to general business (BG) on the outskirts of the downtown to encourage the development of mixed use buildings which would bring more employees and residents to the downtown while paying significantly higher property taxes.

Currently the Amherst property tax base is made up of 90% residential and only 10% commercial.  

The change to BG zoning would allow for denser development, aka taller five story buildings, with greater lot coverage, giving developers an incentive to put their property to a higher and better use.

 Triangle and Cottage Streets

The Planning Board unanimously voted not to approve the zoning change for the east side of Triangle Street because they were worried about the mostly owner occupied homes along Cottage Street.

But they did approve the change on the east side of South Prospect Street and about half of the requested change along North Pleasant Street but only for properties on the south side of Hallock Street.

These parcels are of course that much closer to the heart of the downtown and just last month the Planning Board approved Special Permits for 236 North Pleasant that allows developers Barry Roberts and Curt Shumway to have one addition floor, going from three to four.

West side  North Pleasant Street from Cowls Lane down to Hallock but not north of there

The Historical Commission enacted a one year delay back in January on the project so it would be kind of ironic if that delay ends up benefiting the local developers should the zoning change -- which requires a two thirds Town Meeting vote -- passes.

The zoning article petitioner, Jerry Guidera, confirmed he will trim back that particular article to only include the properties south of Hallock Street, but will continue to move forward with the Triangle Street rezoning in spite of the unanimous vote against it by the Planning Board.

And considering how Town Meeting often does just the opposite of Planning Board recommendations, that may not be such a bad thing.

Wicked Wonderful Wednesday

Off to a good start

Deep South Amherst

I see that train a hiding

Our favorite Flagship

Town center

Critters next door

Bucolic Belchertown

University Drive

The Evergreens

Miss Emily's 

Red, white and black

DUI Dishonor Roll

MADD:  every day in America 27 people die from drunk driving crashes

So it's good to know Amherst police can use their basic powers of observation (and smell) to bring charges of driving under the influence of marijuana, because I have a feeling we're going to see more and more of it in the not too distant future.

 Kyle Ferguson, age 20, arraigned before Judge Estes

Click to enlarge/read

And the case of Jackson B. Gale, age 19, goes to show UMass police do have the power of arrest anywhere in town.  At the time of the incident (3 AM) every available Amherst police officer was at the scene of the homicide in South Amherst. 

Jackson B Gale will automatically lose his license for 6 months for refusing the Breathalyzer

Another Housing Hurdle Cleared

In Chapter 61A the property paid the town less than $100 annually

The Select Board, our ultimate political authority, voted unanimously NOT to to use their right of first refusal to purchase 5.79 acres on University Drive that Town Meeting recently rezoned from Office Park to Business Limited to allow the new owner, UMass New Build LLC,  to construct 32 units (3 of them "affordable") of high end student housing.

The town would have had to match the $660,000 price of the current purchase and sale agreement.

Assistant Town Manager Dave Ziomek also told the SB that the new owners would be making a donation to the town to help offset taking out of production the 3 acres or so of the property that is now farmed.

A Million Here, A Million There

Intersection of Sunderland and Montague Roads just before North Amherst Library

Option D turns end Sunderland Road into green space

In addition to the four major building projects costing upwards of $100 million in town funds in our near and intermediate future, Amherst is also undertaking costly infrastructure improvements all over town.

Last night the Select Board unanimously approved a Town Meeting warrant article calling for $660,000 to purchase the gas station behind the North Amherst Library to coincide with intersection improvements to the North Amherst Center intersection known as Option D.

Last month the town applied for a $1.1 million MassWorks Grant to cover the actual cost of the construction but last year a grant request to improve traffic signals at that intersection was turned down.

As was (twice) a $4 million request to reconstruct Pine Street which the town later did on its own.

Assistant Town Manager Dave Ziomek told the Select Board last night the town will probably know by the November 14th start of Town Meeting if a $400,000 PARC grant for the Groff Park spray park is approved.

The spray park will replace the ancient wading pool

 

Town Meeting already approved $550,000 from Community Preservation Act funds and if the PARC grant doesn't materialized the other $400,000 will be requested during the upcoming CPA funding cycle to be voted on this spring by Town Meeting.

And still no word how the town will fund the much talked about and much protested roundabout at Triangle and East Pleasant Street, a main gateway to our beloved flagship of higher education UMass/AMHERST.

Work has been ongoing around this intersection since late Spring

The current construction project in the north downtown that seem to be taking forever is the result of a $1.5 million MassWorks grant for removing ugly utility poles by placing wires underground.  But that money can't be used for the roundabout itself, which is sure to cost over a million.

And then there's that $17 million backlog in road repairs town wide ...

Our Gorgeous Valley

UMass, Amherst center, Amherst College

Hadley  (Click photos to enlarge)

Belchertown

North East Street

Deep South Amherst

Pelham 

 Groff Park

 Colorful Flagship

Well I love That Dirty Water

Town is using Mill River Pool water for trees, shrubs and sewer flushing

Amherst Road, Pelham  pond usually a lot fuller

Whatever you are doing to conserve water, keep doing it.  In fact, think about stepping it up over the next few weeks as the water situation continues to tread water, but not really improve.

   Amherst Water Drought Update by Larry Kelley on Scribd

 Atkins Reservoir 10/14 off line and only 37.5% full

At the four boards economic summit meeting on Thursday, Town Manager Paul Bockelman pointed out the water crisis had a silver lining in that it has brought the town and University of Massachusetts closer together as a team (Amherst & Hampshire Colleges as well).

 Hills Reservoir 10/14 off line

And Assistant Town Manager Dave Ziomek confirmed that although the Select Board approved fines for water ban violators no such tickets have been issued to date because "cooperation has been so good."

 Hawley Reservoir 10/14 currently off line

I'll drink to that.