Letter: Proposed Archipelago Development is Inappropriate for Atkins Corner

The following letter was sent to the Amherst Planning Board on March 18, 2024. A portion of the letter was read as public comment at the meeting of the Planning Board on March 19, 2024.

I write to urge the Planning Board to not approve the requested Site Plan Review or Special Permit for the proposed development at Gould Way and Lannon Lane (Atkins Corner). The proposed buildings are too tall, have too many floors, and the percentage of commercial space does not meet zoning bylaws. The amount of parking required for the number of tenants far exceeds not only what is proposed but also what this area can accommodate. The developers probably want greater profits, but building this large and incongruous a development will overwhelm the existing residents, create traffic and parking problems, and provide the wrong type of housing and commercial space. 

Please note that I do not object to building on the two parcels owned by Hampshire College. I was aware of that possibility when I bought my home in 1999 and I would welcome both new homes and new businesses. However, the zoning bylaws do not permit the sort of size and density proposed and the current residents had a reasonable expectation that the bylaws would be upheld. I hope that the Planning Board will enforce those rules to the betterment of both existing and future residents, patrons, and travelers at this busy corner of town. Please do not allow the buildings to exceed the height and number of floors, ensure that parking requirements are met, enforce the commercial space requirements, and insist that a thorough traffic study be performed before any decisions are made. 

Type of Units
More than 80% of the units are relatively small one bedroom (600 SF) or two bedroom (800 SF) apartments with one bathroom – like a dorm and unlike the multi-unit housing at Hampshire Village, Upper Orchard, and Applewood. While it would be reasonable to include some of these smaller units, the overwhelming number here suggests that this is designed to attract temporary tenants, such as undergraduate students, rather than provide much needed housing for young families, staff and faculty at Hampshire College, and affordable housing for people working in Amherst. This development appears to be solely rental properties in three large monotonous buildings proposed that are stylistically incompatible with this semi-rural, New England setting.

There is little public transportation to serve residents in the area and the existing PVTA routes predominantly connect the Five Colleges, with limited or no service during their breaks. 

Many of the current residents in this area chose to live here (at the southern end of town, far from the University) to avoid living adjacent to dormitories geared toward undergraduates. Adding 262 tenants to the existing population (about 350 residents per the Town resident list) would represent a 75% increase and would be a profound, negative change.

Parking
The plans call for only half the number of parking spaces required (180 total vs 364). Only 117 would be for development’s tenants. Most of the parking spaces are in the southeast parcel but most of the apartments are in the northwest parcel, separated by a street and commercial parking lot. Besides Atkins Market itself, the nearest stores are two miles away at Pomeroy Lane (a gas station and a few shops), so most tenants would want/need cars, and that would increase traffic. It would also inevitably result in tenants parking along Rambling Rd and in the Atkins parking lot; neither of these situations would be acceptable.

Traffic
The lack of a completed traffic study is both curious and problematic. Traffic in this area is substantial for cars and trucks traveling within Amherst itself, but also connecting with Belchertown, Hadley, Granby and points south. Entering and exiting West St from Country Corners Rd, and West Bay Rd from Rambling Rd is already challenging at many times of day, with drivers, bikers, and pedestrians encountering rapidly traveling vehicles coming around curves and down hills. Before considering adding to that load, a thorough traffic study should be conducted during the day, when schools are in session, and after consulting with Atkins Market to understand its busiest times and days.

The plans don’t include an entrance or exit onto West Bay Rd from the northwest parcel (25B-52), although the property card shows a West Bay Rd address. Instead, they show a new road to connect onto Rambling Rd, close to West Bay Rd. This would create unacceptable levels of traffic in each direction on Rambling Road, and would increase the use of Rambling Rd and Country Corners Rd as a cut through to avoid the traffic circle at Atkins Market. This would further damage roads that have not been repaired since the construction of the traffic circles (as had been promised). It would also be dangerous to the many residents, including a large number of seniors, children, and pets, who walk along these roads. Even with the poor road condition, many people choose to walk on the street to avoid tripping on the even worse sidewalks along Rambling Rd. 

Commercial Space
The zoning bylaw requires: “At least 30% of the Gross Floor Area of the first or ground floor shall be any permitted non‐residential use, other than parking, including incidental spaces, except that the Permit Granting Authority may allow the required non‐residential use(s) to be distributed on any floor, or in any building of a multiple building development on the same parcel, provided that the portion of the first or ground floor of any building facing the Street shall be occupied predominantly by such non‐residential use(s).”

The proposed plan treats the separate parcels as one (which is not allowed) in order to provide the ~12,000 SF of commercial space. The northwest parcel has far less than 30% commercial space on the first floor of the two buildings proposed there.

Maria Kopicki
Maria Kopicki is a resident of Amherst’s District 5