Letter: Form Based Code Is Fine If It Is Specific

In the latest edition of their feature a Civil Conversation (Part 3), Andy Churchill and Meg Gage discuss the perceived benefits of form-based code as a possible pathway to adopting more formal design standards to guide development in Amherst 

My concern with form-based code is that its good intention will be reduced to the simplistic “I can build more of what is already built,” including five-story “mixed use” buildings that are designed for and marketed to student rentals, at $1,200+ per bed, no setbacks, unappealing design, hard to re-purpose if and when the student population declines (as predicted by UMass President Marty Meeghan), overly jumbo for Amherst, lacking parking as well as space for adequate ground-floor commercial businesses.

I am concerned that the “regulations and standards… presented in both words and clearly drawn diagrams and other visuals” will be as easy to manipulate as the ones for those five-story apartment buildings, and will be the justification for more of what is so disliked by so many downtown.

What would be wrong with clearly drawn plans for what we want built downtown? The attractive elements of those favorite buildings, the 3- (or 4-) story buildings that are built to last, encourage a diverse residential population above stores, restaurants, offices, and other creative public-facing uses?

We have many examples of college towns that have been sub-optimized with the kinds of oversized apartments Amherst is vulnerable to. Our planning department and planning board need to be more proactive in building more of what we want and discouraging more of what the seeming majority of the Amherst community strongly dislikes.

In conclusion, form-based code is fine, if it focuses on more of our best, specifying the ingredients of such a desirable project. Get specific on what we are fishing for, and create the right bait.

Ira Bryck

Ira Bryck has lived in Amherst since 1993, ran the Family Business Center for 25 years, hosted the “Western Mass. Business Show” on WHMP for seven years, now coaches business leaders, and is a big fan of Amherst’s downtown.