REPORT: PLANNING BOARD MEETING (1/29/20)

Members Present : Christine Gray-Mullen (Chair), Michael Birtwistle, Maria Chao, Jack Jemsek, Janet McGowan. Members Absent: David Levenstein. Staff Present: Christine Brestrup, Planning Director, and Pamela Field-Sadler, Administrative Assistant

This was an extra meeting to wrap-up pending items.

Proposals to remodel Amherst College athletic fields and a car-cleaning structure behind Enterprise Car Rental on College Street were approved.

New Flood Plain Maps
Christine Brestrup, Planning Director, plans to present the new Flood Plain maps to the Town Council on February 10. The 90-day appeal period for property owners ends on February 20. Then the Town has a six-month compliance period to adopt the maps and make necessary zoning changes.

Amherst Media Building
Amherst Media has received a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Local Historic District Commission. Brestrup believes the decision is likely to be appealed.  The Planning Board will probably discuss the project in March. 

132 Northampton Road
Valley CDC has submitted an application for funding to the state Department of Housing and Community Development to support the affordable housing project at 132 Northampton Road. Once the application is received, there will be a 30-day comment period. Brestrup suggested that the Planning Board submit its recommendation to the State  along with the comments from other individuals and organizations.

Downtown Development
Brestrup summarized a report that was presented to the Town council on Monday January 27  by Town Manager Paul Bockelman, Assistant Town Manager David Ziomek, Amherst Business Improvement District (BID) Director Gabrielle Gould, and outgoing Economic Director Geoff Kravitz on plans for imrpovement of the downtown area. These include a playground at Kendrick Park, remodeling of the North Common, a band and performance shell for the South Common, and a parking structure for the parking lot behind CVS. Their presentation was not available in written form but can be viewed on the Amherst Media website.

40 R Zoning
The rest of the meeting consisted of a discussion of consultant recommendations for  40R Zoning downtown, presented at a public forum on December 19. This was the third of four presentations by consultants Karen Sunnarborg and David Eisen on 40R Zoning, which permits “overlay zones” with denser building than allowed by the existing zoning laws. Developers must follow design guidelines and provide either 20 or 25 percent affordable units. The consultants recommended the downtown area as the most appropriate for 40R projects. The consultants  plan a final public forum in February or March to suggest zoning bylaw revisions and design guidelines drawn from the suggestions given at the three previous public forums.

Brestrup stressed that Amherst must decide if 40R Zoning is appropriate for the town.  It would probably not be implemented in the area of downtown zoned Business General because developers can already build dense housing there with no required parking or affordable units. In the areas of downtown zoned Business Limited, 40R Zoning would permit mixed-use buildings where only business is allowed now. 

Several Planning Board members said they would like to meet with Sunnarborg and Eisen before the consultants’ final presentation to the Town in February. Brestrup said she is unsure whether there are sufficient funds in the grant that funded the 40 R consultants  for them to come to Amherst again. Janet McGowan voiced concerns that people in the neighborhoods near downtown did not receive enough notice to participate in the discussion. Brestrup responded that all downtown property owners were notified of the last 40 R forum and that Assistant Planner Nate Malloy is collecting comments to convey to the consultants.

Upcoming Meetings
The next two Planning Board meetings will be February 5 and February 19. The February 5 meeting will continue the hearing on a mixed-use building proposed for 462 Main Street (Center East Commons)  with the addition of remodeling a non-conforming building next door to provide bicycle storage and trash receptacles. This building does not have the required 10-foot setback, so modifications need a new approval. Discussions about updating the Master Plan will be continued. Building Commissioner Rob Morra will attend on February 19 to discuss zoning issues. The dispute between residents of Amherst Hills and developer Tofino Associates over subdivision roads will probably be discussed then.