AMHERST — A $675,000 land acquisition coming before Town Meeting this fall would ensure the planned realignment of the intersection of Montague and Sunderland roads moves forward.
Assistant Town Manager David Ziomek told the Select Board Monday that the purchase of the .81-acre parcel that serves as the site of Village Auto Service, just north of the North Amherst Library, will allow Sunderland Road to be rerouted through this property, intersecting with Montague Road in front of the Riverside Park Shopping Plaza.
Currently, Sunderland and Montague roads meet just south of the library.
Ziomek said officials have completed a recent appraisal and are negotiating to buy the property from Joseph Sacco, owner of Village Auto Service. Town records show the property assessed at $318,600.
Town Manager Paul Bockelman said Amherst would borrow the money for the land purchase.
In addition to improving the intersection, Ziomek said realigning Sunderland Road would mean the North Amherst Library, the former North Amherst School and the so-called Cow Field could be grouped together on the west side of the road, rather than being cut off from each other.
The library would also benefit by having dedicated parking, including handicapped spaces. Informally, library patrons have been parking at the edge of the Village Auto Service lot, and Ziomek said the town is indebted to Sacco for years of permitting this.
The Cow Field is already in line get $50,000 in improvements, including its own parking area, a multi-use field and a fence to protect the site from vehicles traveling on Sunderland Road. But Ziomek said if the intersection change happens, the fence won’t be needed.
Meanwhile, the town is seeking $1.1 million from the MassWorks grant program that would pay for the work.
“The money to design and build this new intersection would all be covered by the MassWorks grant,” Ziomek said.
With this money, the design could happen in 2017, with construction in 2018.
The MassWorks grant would also provide money for new sidewalks and crosswalks on Montague Road and installation of fiber cables throughout the village center to provide high-speed internet and WiFi to businesses and residences.
Ziomek said the state grant would enhance development opportunities, including on Cowls Road where the Trolley Barn and Atkins Farms Country Market have been built in recent years.
Additionally, Beacon Communities Development of Boston is proposing a 150,000-square-foot development called North Square at the Mill District, featuring 130 apartments and 22,000 square feet of new commercial space.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
