Speak Up! Should North Prospect Lot Be Rezoned To Permit Parking Garage?
Photo: Howard Lake (Flckr.com). (CC BY-SA 2.0)
The Amherst Town Council has taken up consideration of a zoning amendment that has been the source of some debate and contention. The question is whether to rezone the town-owned parking lot off North Prospect Street (also known as the North Pleasant Street Lot or Parcel 14A-33) in order to allow a parking garage to be built there.
Proponents say that a parking garage is necessary to promote Downtown Amherst as a destination for outside visitors and that the zoning change is required to generate investor interest in a garage development project.
Opponents argue that it is not appropriate for a garage to be built adjacent to a local historic district and that the parking garage decision Is being rushed before need, impact and alternatives sites have been fully explored. They point to a 2016 Nelson\Nygaard study that concludes that Amherst Center has adequate parking capacity.
The Amherst Indy would like to know how the public feels about the parking garage rezoning. At the same time, we are interested in how Downtown Amherst plays a part in your lives. All responses are anonymous. The survey will close in one week, at midnight on Sunday, December 18.
Learn more about the parking garage proposal at the links below the survey form.
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Information about the parking garage proposal can be found at the following links.
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