Planning Board sets East Amherst study boundary
Planning Board · Meeting of September 30, 2026
Amherst Planning Board maps East Amherst study zone, previews five-story UMass overlay. Chair Douglas Marshall steered consultants from Innes Land Strategies Group toward a Route 9/Belchertown Road focus rather than Main Street, calling the Route 9 entrance "a very ugly duckling" in need of redevelopment attention. The board approved May 20 minutes 4-0 after member Roy Johnson switched from an abstention to an aye.
During public comment, Northampton resident and Hampshire College graduate Zane Salim proposed a town-owned grocery store on the Hampshire College campus, pegging potential added revenue at $9.5 million a year if Amherst College and UMass paid a quarter of what they'd owe without tax exemptions. Member Angus McLeod, arriving late, backed a draft "campus adjacent zone" near UMass allowing five-story buildings, saying he "generally support[s] greater density in these areas" despite expected resident pushback. No other formal votes were taken.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 2,991 words
Source: the Planning Board meeting of September 30, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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