AMHERST — Vacant parcels of developable land in the Atkins Corner area of South Amherst are being offered for sale by Hampshire College.
The sites, totaling 7.69 acres, are situated to the west and southwest of Atkins Farms Country Market and next to Applewood Retirement Community, and are being marketed by Colebrook Realty Services of Springfield.
Across the street from the college campus, the land includes frontage that was created a decade ago when new perimeter roads, Lannon Lane and Gould Way, were built around the Atkins store, at the same time as the main arteries of West Street, Bay Road and West Bay Road were reconfigured using roundabouts. The land also fronts onto both West Bay Road and West Street.
Town officials had hoped that the $6 million road construction project would spur creation of a new village center. In 2014, Amherst Town Meeting agreed to rezone the parcels as part of 11.51 acres, including the Atkins flagship store, from limited business to village center business, and encourage walkability and additional shops and services.
A college official said then that there would be no immediate use for the land, but that mixed-use developments might be appropriate, as well as affordable housing for the college’s faculty and staff.
The college recently solicited requests for proposals for use of the land that were due by Dec. 20. The advertisement cites the proximity to the Eric Carle Museum and the Yiddish Book Center, both of which are in the college’s cultural village.
The Town Council asked Town Manager Paul Bockelman this week what involvement the town should have going forward. Bockelman said the best course of action is to support the land’s development for housing and possible commercial activities.
“It is not something we think the town should purchase,” Bockelman said.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
