Guest columnist Elizabeth Vierling: Zoning plans that are out of ‘whack’
Amherst Town Hall
Those of us trying to pay attention to zoning changes being discussed for Amherst are engaged in a game of “whack-a-mole” as proposals morph, but do not solve the problems they are supposed to address. Rather, they promise to supply more undergraduate student housing, degrade neighborhoods and remove any reason to visit the Amherst business district.
Since I moved to Amherst 10 years ago, I’ve seen half of the “amenities” that I enjoyed in downtown disappear. I am not expecting Amherst to revert to last century, but we are losing even compared to 2011. The northern end of “downtown” is now a “desert” for residents and visitors. We got Kendrick Place and One East Pleasant Street, with one restaurant and horrendous streetscapes. Now the retail establishments between those two buildings are shutting down. Will infill be other super-sized, super-expensive apartments?