AMHERST — Ever since the development company Beacon Communities of Boston opened North Square at the Mill District in 2021, traffic has increased at the already congested main signalized intersection in North Amherst village center, and nearby where Montague and Sunderland roads merge in front of the North Amherst Library.
With prospects for removing the traffic signals and installing a roundabout nonexistent, and a long-planned realignment of the roads put off, Meadow Street resident Joe Swartz says gridlock will only increase if a 140-unit affordable housing building is constructed at 246 Montague Road.
“What you created was a traffic nightmare,” Swartz told Beacon representatives during a Monday evening feedback session on the development proposed for a portion of the Mitchell Farm.
Garnering applause from many of the 50 or so people at the Amherst Survival Center, some of the conversation centered on how to address the possible increase in traffic the four-story building might bring, adding to the influx of those commuting to and from the University of Massachusetts campus.
Beacon anticipates the development will be a mix of 55-and-over, affordable and family housing, featuring all-electric, passive house construction on the site between Montague and Sunderland roads.
Beacon CEO Dara Kovel said Beacon, which has 9,000 units of housing in Massachusetts, has a mission to build great buildings that positively impact communities. The project must go through the state’s Chapter 40B process, and the town’s Zoning Board of Appeals needs to approve the associated permits.
“This is the first of many meetings,” Kovel said. “We’re not going anywhere.”
Darcy Jameson, vice president of development, said since the North Square opened, the company has sought opportunities to advance the town’s affordable housing goals “in a balanced way.” Jameson said construction on the intergenerational community could start in 2028.
“This is a huge opportunity to create housing for people who really need it,” Kovel said.
Jeff Bagg, the town’s director of planning and economic development, said the town has struggled to meet the housing production goals outlined in the town’s 2021 Comprehensive Housing Policy and the town’s 2025 Housing Production Plan.
The town would seek a Housing Choice grant for the study and design and a HousingWorks grant for infrastructure work.
Nidhi John of PCA Architects in Cambridge designed the plans; she said there was an effort to preserve the landscape and site the new building where an existing barn is.
While attendees asked many questions, they also suggested having entrances from both roads for easier property access. But the extensive wetlands might preclude this possibility.
Lauren McCarthy of Montague Road said she is concerned about wetlands and what the final project will look like. But she appreciates the retail component in the stores and restaurants added to the Mill District.
“We love what you’ve done already,” McCarthy said.
Meg Gage, also of Montague Road, said that she has been among those supporting the Amherst Community Homes, being developed by Valley Community Development at the corner of Montague and Pulpit Hill roads, who have become “yes in my back yard,” or YIMBYs.
But Gage said Beacon’s latest proposal is more challenging due to the views and the access for fire trucks and lighting. She also questions whether the project will solve the town’s housing crisis, or just draw people from other towns.
“Things about this sound great, but I’m worried,” Gage said. “I implore you to listen to our neighborhood.”
Many comments focused on ensuring the homes are affordable and look appropriate.
Those who live nearby were joined at the session by Jill Brevik and Cathy Schoen, the councilors who represent that part of town, as well as three other councilors: District 4’s Jennifer Taub and Pam Rooney and At Large member Andy Churchill, along with Town Manager Paul Bockelman and Amherst developer Barry Roberts.
Robin Jaffin, another North Amherst resident, said the building looks “scary big” and will result in a lot of impervious surfaces, with parking for 210 cars and potential damage to wetlands. “We also have a responsibility for people who live here 50 years from now,” Jaffin said.
Most vocal in his criticism was Vincent O’Connor of Summer Street.
“This is an incredibly insane project in terms of infrastructure and everything else,” O’Connor said.
He said Bockelman granted a waiver in the Chapter 40B application and that it is “crazy” for the town to invest in sewer or road improvements.
“We have the highest tax rate in the area, we have the worst roads in the area,” O’Connor said.
But after the meeting, Bockelman explained the development aligns with town goals, featuring 100% affordability and a range of services and families, and that Beacon brings experience in both new construction in Amherst and as owner of Rolling Green Apartments.
Beacon will have to submit a Project Eligibility application to the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, likely in May or June. Bockelman has already submitted a letter of support for this.
Another critic of the plans is Hilda Greenbaum of Montague Road. She is part of a group of neighbors who have hired local attorney Michael Pill to represent them and provide legal advice.
Greenbaum, who lives in a nearly 300-year-old farmhouse, calls the Beacon project “aesthetically challenged.” “It’s the ugliest building I’ve seen in an historic neighborhood,” Greenbaum said.
Greenbaum said there is also irony to this proposal, observing that in 1987 the town prevented the construction of 200 homes—about a quarter of which would have been classified as affordable—on 95 acres at the nearby Cherry Hill Golf Course. And in 2022 the town acquired 150 acres of the former Hickory Ridge Golf Course.
“We bought Hickory Ridge for affordable housing,” Greenbaum said.
