AMHERST — An initiative to promote construction of accessory dwelling units, as a way to address housing affordability, is being undertaken by the Amherst Municipal Affordable Housing Trust.
The panel charged with ensuring low- and moderate-income individuals and families have access to housing is taking two actions.
First, it is drafting a column, which members hope will be printed in the Daily Hampshire Gazette, explaining the relative ease for permitting an ADU.
The opinion piece is titled “An ADU might solve a problem you’re already living with” and
outlines opportunities, such as for elders who might be interested in downsizing or parents who want to provide a smaller home for a grown child.
In preparing the column, members expressed concern that much of the discussion over ADUs in town has centered on whether those that are being built will be for area college students, rather than providing new housing options for permanent residents. There have also been debates over how the size of ADUs are calculated.
The committee is also putting together a survey to encourage residents to think about ways of creating new homes. This would be available on the town website and a mailer with a QR code will be going out to some households. The hope is to have people interested in visiting completed ADUs in October, to experience firsthand what has been built.
Gaston de los Reyes, who chairs the committee, said the hope is the campaign will get 30 to 40 favorable respondents.
“And I think that would be a big success,” de los Reyes said.
Fort River Watershed Cleanup
People will gather at Groff Park, 83 Mill Lane, Saturday starting at 9:30 a.m. for the Fort River Watershed Association’s annual cleanup.
Those participating will remove trash throughout the watershed from 10 a.m. to noon and, when complete, can be part of the post-cleanup festival celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Connecticut River Conservancy’s Source to Sea Cleanup.
Music will be performed by Pre-Emption Road, food will be sold by Chappy’s Mobile Culinary Experience and Batch will have ice cream available.
Senior events
Friends of Amherst Senior Center are putting on three events over the next week.
On Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., the group will have a pop-up jewelry store at the Amherst Farmers Market, which takes place on the Town Common that day.
That will be followed by the Amherst Meet & Greet, set for Sept. 23 from 10 to 11 a.m., at Atkins Farms Country Market, 1150 West St.
Finally, Senior Sips, where seniors can mingle over drinks and snacks, will be at Bistro 63, 63 North Pleasant St., Sept. 24 at 4 p.m.
Pickleball appeals
With no new pickleball courts in Amherst, despite money previously set aside for their construction and many neighboring communities already having new courts, enthusiasts are appealing to Town Council for an interim solution.
“On a day-to-day basis, pickleball in Amherst is a problem,” Larry Steinhauser, of Bridle Path, told councilors this week.
Steinhauser said the idea would be to make a second tennis court available for pickleball at MIll River Recreation Area, underestanding that Bay Road Tennis, which has used the Hampshire College courts, is closing.
Mill River can provide courts for both tennis and pickleball. “I’m simply asking: paint the lines on the second court,” Steinhauser said
“We really need lines painted on the tennis court next to us so that we don’t have to keep people waiting to play,” added Marion Hoffman Foreman, of The Hollow.
common returns
An immersive theater piece known as common, first performed in July, returns to the Town Common Saturday.
A collaboration between the Amherst Regional High School Theater Company and Eggtooth Productions, common was commissioned by the Amherst Historical Society as part of the commemoration of the 250th Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of
Independence
Participants will have the chance to be part of common at 10:30 a.m., 11:15 a.m. and noon.
