AMHERST — A document that has guided Amherst’s housing and commercial development, land preservation, transportation infrastructure, and other initiatives for more than a decade has been adopted by the Town Council with no changes.
Despite recent feedback from the public expressing concerns with aspects of the master plan, specifically the intensity of building projects in downtown and village centers, councilors Monday voted 9-2 to support the master plan originally approved by the Planning Board in February 2010. The council’s vote is required under the town’s charter.
Planning Director Christine Brestrup said the master plan, though now more than a decade old and not subject to be revised until 2030, remains an important tool and conceptual layout for the town.
“It’s not outdated, it’s really lively and relevant for today,” Brestrup said
Brestrup added that she understands not all residents are comfortable with the five-story buildings. But the master plan is different from the zoning that allows such projects and expresses what Brestrup said are important community values, such as preventing urban sprawl and preserving open space, like the farmland and vistas to the Pelham hills off South East Street. The master plan also includes directions for promoting an ethic of sustainable environmental and energy practices.
Still, two councilors, District 5 Councilor Darcy DuMont and District 3 Councilor Dorothy Pam, voted against adopting the master plan, while District 1 Councilor Cathy Schoen abstained and District 1 Councilor Sarah Swartz was absent.
Pam said the master plan was never approved by the legislative body a decade ago, representative Town Meeting, and that councilors shouldn’t adopt it until clarity is brought to certain aspects.
“My biggest problem is a great confusion about some of the main words,” Pam said, pointing to “densification” and “in-fill development,” and how those ideas, and projects like Kendrick Place and One East Pleasant, impact historic neighborhoods.
District 4 Councilor Evan Ross said he is supportive of having the council on record as adopting the master plan, even though he is concerned about using terms such as “community character” and “neighborhood character,” and how they might reinforce structural racism. In many communities, those terms are often defined by well-to-do white families who have owned their homes for generations, he said.
Still, Ross said he feels the master plan is “very strong.”
The decision by the council came after members opted against calling on the Planning Board to amend the master plan by either integrating or referencing the town’s climate action goals and a new housing plan.
At-Large Councilor Mandi Jo Hanneke said there would need to be significant staff time to fully rewrite wholesale sections of the master plan.
Brestrup said the only additional plan referenced by the master plan is a transportation plan, referenced by Planning Board action in June 2015.
A housing production plan, housing market study, sewer extension plan, and bicycle and pedestrian network plan are among various plans that have not yet been incorporated by reference, according to Brestrup.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
