AMHERST — Amherst Media will have to wait until December, at the earliest, to learn whether it will be able to build a new headquarters on property it owns on Main Street near Gray Street.
The Local Historic District Commission last week postponed a decision on issuing a certificate of appropriateness and instructed William Gillen of Gillen Collaborative Architects to return with a three-dimensional model and more images of what the building would look like on the .56-acre parcel.
The commission will meet again Dec. 2 at 4 p.m.
Members of the commission said they worry that the mass of the building will not fit with single-family homes in the neighborhood, and complement the nearby historic Hills House and Amherst Woman’s Club buildings.
“I think this is too big in this location,” said member Bruce Coldham.
Coldham suggested that Gillen remove the gable roof, which he said would reduce the size and, even with a flat roof, might fit better with other properties. He suggested Gillen return with two or three massing variations.
Members are looking for different approaches, reduced parking and moving the building farther from the street, said Jennifer Taub, the commission’s chairwoman.
Demeteria Shabazz, president of the Amherst Media board, said the nonprofit is trying to develop a new media center for the entire community and is concerned that the commission is both moving the goalposts, and not giving clarity about what it wants.
Gillen said he would like to be able to produce bid documents at the beginning of winter so Amherst Media can break ground in spring 2020. But he added that he is unlikely to be able to substantially reduce the size of the building and still meet the needs of Amherst Media for its $1.3 million production facility and technology center.
Commission member Jim Lumley said the commission’s decision will be critical. “It’s going to be here for a long time and we want something that’s appropriate for that area,” Lumley said.
Elevation drawings, said commission member Maurianne Adams, would allow the commission to get the sense of the project’s impact as people travel down Gray Street and head east and west on Main Street. She said she is also concerned about making sure the Main Street facade is attractive.
Residents who live or are affiliated with nine neighboring properties sent a letter to the commission urging due diligence. “We remain in agreement that the project, as currently proposed, is inconsistent with the intent of the Dickinson Historic District and falls well short of meeting the criteria outlined in the Amherst Local Historic District Bylaws,” reads the letter, which was also signed by 14 members of the Amherst Woman’s Club, which is located in one of two historical buildings near the project site.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
