Developer moving forward with downtown building projects in Amherst
A view of Main Street in downtown Amherst on Saturday afternoon, March 14, 2020. GAZETTE FILE PHOTO
Published: 5/11/2021 2:54:16 PM
AMHERST An Amherst developer proposing a new five-story, mixed-use building at the northern end of downtown anticipates resuming construction on a similar project on Spring Street in 2021, more than a year after work was halted on that development.
During the initial May 5 Planning Board hearing on the latest downtown project proposed by Archipelago Investments, LLC, a 55-apartment building to be known as 11 East Pleasant, principal Kyle Wilson told planners that the 26 Spring St. project will start up again later this year. The latter project includes 58 apartments.
Gerry Weiss: What the facts are trying to tell us
Published: 4/7/2021 3:27:49 PM
In the not too distant future, the Amherst Town Council will be voting on whether or not to change some zoning bylaws, specifically regarding mixed-use buildings and inclusionary zoning, a zoning device used by many communities to increase the availability of affordable housing.
Walk down the sidewalk past the Zanna block and notice what you see as you pass One East Pleasant Street, the five-story monolith. At its closest point to the street, it is a mere 8 feet, 5 inches. There is a tiny tree lawn, with no benches and no public space, in shade much of the day and quite sterile.
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?
Guest columnist Steve Bloom: Build, baby, build gazettenet.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from gazettenet.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.