Planning Board and Neighbors Differ on Proposed Development for Atkins Corner

Report on the Meeting of the Amherst Planning Board, March 18, 2025

This meeting was held over Zoom and was recorded.

Present
Doug Marshall (Chair), Bruce Coldham, Jesse Mager, Fred Hartwell, Johanna Neumann, and Karin Winter. Absent: Lawrence Kluttz

Staff: Nate Malloy (Senior Planner) and Pam Field Sadler (Assistant)

There were 58 attendees on Zoom. Marshall read all of the names present aloud (something   other committee chairs do not do). 

Archipelago Investments Plans 140-Unit Mixed-use Building at Atkins Corner
After failing to get a variance from the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) to allot 10% rather than 30% of its ground floor space to be non-residential, developer Archipelago Investments revised its plans and came to the Planning Board to request a Site Plan Review and Special Permit to construct three buildings on two parcels at Gould Way and Lannon Lane that have a total of 140 residential units with 262 total bedrooms, and 12,000 square feet of non-residential area. The new plans met with favorable comments from Planning Board members, but faced criticism from those living in the area who were concerned about insufficient parking and possible dangers of increased traffic.

The proposed project is in the Business-Village Center zoning district on land that Hampshire College owns and hopes to sell to Archipelago. The project has two buildings along Bay Road and Gould Way and a third on Lannon Lane and West Street. The buildings are four stories with all electric utilities and meet passive house standards. The utilities will be on the roof and screened with solar panels. There are 180 parking spaces total for the residential and commercial spaces. The Special Permit is requested for increasing the buildings’ height to 49.5 feet, 9.5 feet higher than the 40 feet allowed in the bylaw and increased setback from Bay Road, necessitated by the 25-foot slope there and the need for retaining walls between the road and buildings. The units  proposed are 45 approximately 600 sq. ft. one-bedroom, one-bath, 68 approximately 800 sq. ft two-bedroom, one bath, and 27 approximately 1100 sq. ft three-bedroom, two bath. Seventeen units (six one-bedroom, eight two-bedroom, and three three-bedroom) will be affordable, as required by the Inclusionary Zoning Bylaw. 

Kyle Wilson, representing Archipelago, said that the 4.9 acres on the two parcels used to be an apple orchard, and  that the soil is contaminated with lead arsenate. In order to develop the area for residential use, he said, they will have to remove the top 12 inches of soil. This, along with the site’s slope and high water table makes management of stormwater difficult. There are also 2.9 acres of wetlands between the two building sites. Two detention basins are planned along Gould Way to handle stormwater. Planning Board member Bruce Coldham noted that much of the stormwater drainage from Applewood is directed toward this site, which would not be allowed by today’s regulations that state that all stormwater must be handled on site. 

The buildings are to be constructed with cross-laminated timber, with exposed wood in the ceilings of the upper floors. The cladding will be thermally modified wood, as in the Archipelago development at 47 Olympia Place. Wilson said the natural wood color will blend with the siding on Atkins Country Market. As in the company’s 26 Spring Street building, the ends of the corridors will be glass to let in light. The parking spaces off Gould Way will be on a driveway, with pavers to slow down traffic and promote drainage, connecting Rambling Road and Gould Way. Archipelago will construct sidewalks along this driveway as well as on Bay Road and Lannon Lane.

Amenities planned are a dog run along Bay Road and a children’s play area. Wilson hoped that a daycare center would occupy the first floor of the building closest to West Street, but  admitted that he has not researched requirements for childcare centers.

Wilson preceded his presentation of the project with a summary of the state of housing in the Northeast in general. He said that people are leaving New York City and Boston and asserted that the primary cause was the cost and availability of housing. He said that Massachusetts has the lowest vacancy rate in the country at 2.5% and that prices of single-family homes have doubled in the past eight years. He also said that it is the most expensive state in the country to raise a child and second only to Hawaii in expenses for a family of four. To alleviate the state’s housing shortage, the governor’s new Comprehensive Housing Plan and a plan from the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, Unlocking Housing Production Commission, “Building for the Future,”  recommend eliminating parking minimums and encouraging multi-family housing. 

Wilson asserted that Amherst “needs” 5,000 more housing units (the town’s Housing Production Plan states that it needs between 265 and 715 units in the next five years) and has limited space to build single-family homes.  Therefore, he said, the need has to be met by multifamily housing, but less than two percent of land in town is zoned for apartments or mixed-use buildings, and only the downtown and village centers  are zoned for more than 10 units per acre. Therefore, he concluded, this project is necessary for the town “to meet its housing goals.”

Planning Board Favorably Disposed to Project
Planner Nate Malloy opened the Planning Board discussion by stating that the plans satisfy the non-residential space requirements of the Zoning Bylaw, which requires at least 30% of the ground floor area to be non-residential. Coldham noted that this was a difficult site that necessitated the variances for height and setback requested to be a viable project. Johanna Neumann, who did the site visit with Coldham and Fred Hartwell, stated  that the trees along West Street would need to be removed in order to allow the top soil removal. 

Jesse Mager thought that this was an attractive project but, although Wilson’s presentation on housing in Massachusetts highlighted the need for housing for families, he saw little in the Archipelago plans that would convince a family to live there. He noted that there were only 117 parking spaces reserved for residents, when 262 bedrooms are planned. Hartwell remarked that, although Atkins Country Market sells food, the project would benefit from a convenience store that offers other needed products.

Despite the limited parking, Chair Doug Marshall wondered why Archipelago did not ask for five stories. Neumann agreed that a fifth story should be considered, that she could imagine tenants living car-free there, and water management would be easier if there was less parking. However, Malloy did not think it would be worthwhile to explore adding a fifth story.

Hampshire College Is Depending on Sale of the Property
Ed Wingenbach, president of Hampshire College, touted the project. He said that there is a critical need for housing in this area and that it is difficult to hire and retain staff if there is no housing for them. He stated that the original purpose of the land was to create a place where people who work at Hampshire College could live and walk to work, and developing the land has been in progress for many years. He added that completing this project is essential for Hampshire to recover from its 2019 downturn, and that if the sale of the property to Archipelago does not occur in the next year, it will hinder Hampshire’s survival.

Chief Information Officer at Hampshire College Lorna Hunt said she herself has struggled and failed to find housing in Amherst, and is still looking. She added, “I’ve recruited a number of people who have turned positions down because of the housing situation in the area.” She also pointed out that there are people who are single or couples early in their career who will desire the smaller one- and two-bedroom units. 

This view was also voiced by Kevin Kennedy, from the Five College Consortium, who meets regularly with administrators and faculty from all five campuses and consistently hears about the difficulty in both keeping and attracting employees because of the difficulty of finding appropriate housing. He pointed out the excellent location of this project, being close to Atkins and Hampshire College, as well as public transportation to the area colleges. 

Neighbors Voice Concern About Traffic and Parking
The public comment included comments from many neighbors concerned about added traffic and the lack of parking, which may cause tenants to park their cars on the surrounding residential streets. Maria Kopicki noted that the project would increase the population of the area by 75% and that the area is walkable only to Atkins and the Eric Carle Museum, so residents would need a car. She said that although she would love to have neighbors, this project is too large for the area. Chris Hoch agreed, saying that even now, traffic backs up from the roundabout to Rambling Road. And Debbie Jacque, who has lived on West Street for many years, said that she is afraid to walk across West Street because of the amount and speed of the traffic, so she drives to Atkins or Hampshire College to go for a walk. She is  opposed to adding this much more traffic. Several people emphasized the need for a traffic study before approving the plans. 

Gustavo Oliveira, Li Zhang, and Caiping Yao are residents opposed to the project because of the additional congestion and noise that a development of this size would add to the neighborhood. 

However, Jason Dorney and Clare Bertrand thought that the area could support an even larger development. Bertrand pointed out that shared parking between residential and commercial units works well in the mixed-use building she manages on West Street, so she feels the amount of parking in this plan is adequate.  She also thought that a fifth floor should be considered. Dorney thought there was room for additional buildings on the site, and said that the constraints of zoning bylaws “is a great example of us shooting ourselves in the foot and getting in the way of producing housing.”

Nancy Eddy and Sherry Wilson thought that four-story buildings were too high for the area. Adele Gladstone Gilbert said that she felt condominiums or townhouses would be more appropriate there. Wilson also questioned the plans for the non-residential space if the developer could not find a childcare center to occupy the building near West Street.

Ken Rosenthal noted that the lease proposed by Archipelago permits rental by the bedroom and is limited to one-year. He said that this arrangement seemed like the development is aimed at students, not long-term residents. Planning Board member Hartwell agreed that leasing by the bedroom is a nonstarter for him. However, Archipelago’s Wilson stated that this provision was “inadvertently carried over” from the lease for the private dorm on Olympia Drive, and he would change it to provide only rental by the unit. 

Despite Wilson’s assertion that Archipelago had consulted many of the abutters in developing the design, several of the commenters said that they had not been contacted about the plan. Janet Keller said that she hopes Archipelago will consider the reasonable comments of neighbors by scaling back the size of the project a little and creating enough parking to make it attractive to families.

Public Hearing Continued Until April 16
Wilson said that Archipelago plans to do a traffic study soon. Malloy indicated that the town also needs to hear the plans to comply with the fire department’s requirements. Marshall had concerns about the durability of some of the materials, especially on the proposed pillars. Other aspects of the plans, such as bicycle storage and electric vehicle parking, need to be specified. These questions will be addressed at the April 16 Planning Board meeting. Malloy indicated that the Planning Board has the option to grant the Site Plan Review and deny the request for a Special Permit for the increased building height.

Permit Granted for 422 Amity Street at University Drive
After the ZBA approved the variance for increased building height, the Planning Board approved the permit for Barry Roberts’ 78-unit mixed-use building at the intersection of Amity Street and University Drive. The Planning Board had an extensive discussion about the project at its February 21 meeting, but waited for the ZBA ruling to grant the permit. The project has also received approval from the Conservation Commission. 

Construction of the project, now named Campus View, is expected to begin soon, with occupancy in August 2026.