Building projects on track

By Scott Merzbach
Staff Writer

Published on August 08, 2008

Development projects that could improve the tax base, enhance the downtown business district and provide more housing options for residents are making their way trough the town's permitting process.

Just this week, plans for two new environmentally friendly office buildings to be constructed by New England Environmental Inc. and the reconstruction and expansion of the Lord Jeffery Inn were slated to come before the Planning Board for site plan review, while a 17-unit condominium project on South East Street, which will be handicapped-accessible and marketed to people 45 and over, is nearing approval from the Zoning Board of Appeals.

These projects, combined with developer Ronald Laverdiere's plans for both an office building and a building housing climate-controlled storage units on Meadow Street and Town Manager Larry Shaffer's efforts at securing an option on land in North Amherst off Sunderland Road where a professional research park could be developed, are making this a busy time for town planners.

Shaffer said in an email that he has not yet completed an analysis of the tax impact from these projects, but noted the benefits both the office buildings for New England Environmental and the expansion of the Lord Jeff will offer.

"However, aside from the tax advantages anticipated, the New England Environmental project will provide significant new office space with a strong environmental profile," Shaffer said.

The expansion and renovation of the inn should serve to strengthen the entire downtown.

"The Lord Jeff project provides a significant improvement over the present facility and further anchors and enhances that portion of the downtown. It further provides conference capabilities not otherwise provided," Shaffer said.

"That new asset along with the additional rooms and upgraded restaurant provides further impetus for people to visit Amherst and enjoy the downtown."

<h4>Office buildings</h4>

New England Environmental's buildings, which were scheduled to be the subject of a Planning Board hearing Wednesday, are proposed for a plot of land between Research Drive and Larkspur Drive, in the professional research park zone off Belchertown Road.

The planned development by the Amherst-based company is a direct result of last fall's Town Meeting action that permits visitors to come to buildings constructed in the office-park zone.

Combined, the two buildings will have 18,700 square feet of space, 78 parking spaces and two 25-foot-wide driveways.

One will contain the headquarters for the company, while the other is expected to be rented to other businesses. A caretaker apartment will be located in each building as an accessory use.

Christine Brestrup, a senior planner for the town of Amherst, said each building will have solar panels covering the entire south face of the roof, while the north facing roof line will have a limited number of openings.

The aim is to get the buildings LEED-certified, meaning they will be built using specific "green" techniques and will minimize their energy consumption. Both buildings, which will be identical in shape and size, are being design by Kuhn Riddle Architects.

The plans also call for "low impact design" parking and stormwater management systems.

Brestrup noted that as part of the green initiatives planned, water runoff will be collected in a rain garden. The planting plan is designed to show off some of the plantings that others might use in projects overseen by New England Environmental.

The plan includes shade trees like paper birch, shrubs such as the spice bush, various kinds of ferns and both herbaceous wet and dry plants.

The idea is that the new buildings can serve as a model for how others can construct their buildings and do their site plans.

New England Environmental is a 20-year-old business with 25 employees that currently leases space in the professional research park zone off Belchertown Road near the Amherst Fields neighborhood.

<h4>Lord Jeffery Inn</h4>

Also at Wednesday's Planning Board session, Jim Brassord, director of facilities at Amherst College, was expected to bring plans for the inn's reconstruction and renovation. This 16- to 18-month project is seen as the cornerstone of future development along Spring Street, which was rezoned by Town Meeting last fall to accommodate businesses in an expanded commercial district.

The $5 million project will increase the number of rooms from 48 to 70. An addition along Spring Street will create space for more rooms, including a ballroom and small function rooms, such as a fitness room.

There will be space in the wing that could one day be converted for use by a retail establishment.

Plans call for a new restaurant to replace the existing one and for 23 new parking spaces to be built to the east of the inn.

Shaffer said the greater number of people who can stay at the inn will help all businesses.

"New visitors all become potential new customers which translate to positive economic development," Shaffer said.

<h4>New housing</h4>

Meanwhile, the Strawberry Fields 17-unit condominium project, long planned for a 7.42-acre parcel on South East Street, may be nearing approval from the Zoning Board of Appeals.

Board members Monday indicated that they will likely support the special permit needed for the development proposed by developer Scott Nielsen. The special permit is required for the project in the Planned Unit Residential Development overlay district. The PURD overlay offers a more flexible development that contains both duplex and single-family units.

The approval will likely hinge on ensuring that the development is restricted to either people age 45 and over, so that the burden on schools from school-age children living in the development is minimized, as well as people with disabilities who are seeking housing options. Two of the 17 units will also be "affordable."

Nielsen said he believes he has proposed a "Goldilocks" project, in that it is not too dense but also not much sprawl. "We think this will be an attractive addition to town," Nielsen said.

Though Nielsen might be able to build all the units in one year, depending on meeting the criteria of the town's phased growth bylaw, he said he could do his own phasing of the project because of the current economic times. The project was initially aimed at people 55 and over, with plans to sell the units between $400,000 and $500,000.

The project has both supporters and detractors. Carol Gray, of 815 South East St., a vocal opponent of the plans, said the special permit is a privilege. Nielsen's development will remove a valuable land resource and requires building on a busy street.

"This is one of the most unsafe areas in town for development," Gray said.

It is also not consistent with smart growth principles and will end up costing the town money in educating all the children who might live there.

"Nothing is coming to the town as a result of this development," Gray said.

The benefits, though, said Marylou Theilman, of 40 Valley View Drive, are more opportunities for people 55 and over and those with disabilities to live in Amherst, as well as to have access to the nearby Norwottuck Rail Trail.

Gavin Andresen, of 45 High St., noted that the PURD overlay provides incentives for creating affordable housing and that Nielsen's project is an innovative way of clustering development. But Mitch Pine, of 31 Valley View Circle said the proximity of the homes to the road could be a visual and psychological nuisance. "The main impact I feel it would have is the size of the project," Pine said.