Design for Hickory Ridge Solar Nears Completion

Resistance to Archipelago Mixed-use Project at Atkins Corner Continues

Report on the Meeting of the Amherst Conservation Commission, May 28, 2025By Maura Keene

This meeting was held over Zoom and was recorded.

Present
Michelle Labbe (Chair), Rachel Loeffler, Jason Dorney, Alex Hoar, Andrey Guidera, and Bruce Stedman

Staff: Erin Jacque (Wetlands Administrator) and David Ziomek (Assistant Town Manager)

Design for Hickory Ridge Solar Installation Almost Complete
The last details for the long delayed Pure Sky Solar project with battery storage at Hickory Ridge are being worked out. The Conservation Committee is waiting for specifications for trenching along the axis road to provide auxiliary power to the site, as well as  the design for the culvert under the access road to handle stormwater. The commission also asked for more details on the material to be used in the secondary containment areas around the battery pads, and plans for its maintenance. The batteries themselves will be on cement pads. Attorney Tom Reidy of Bacon, Wilson, LLC represented Pure Sky Energy at the meeting along with Pure Sky Energy Associate Director Lawrence Cook.

The 27-acre project has two sections of solar arrays, each with a battery storage component. The company is still using the Powin centipede batteries that have been the source of fires at other sites. The battery blocks are well away from the flood-prone areas, but frequent serious flooding of the Fort River at the access road has prompted Pure Sky to develop a plan for an emergency access road from Mill Valley Apartments to the north. This grass-paved road will be adequate to support emergency vehicles and heavy maintenance trucks, according to Assistant Town Manager Dave Ziomek.

Although the designs for the trenching, culvert, and emergency access road are not complete, the Conservation Commission approved of the preliminary plans. Pure Sky will return to the commission on June 11 to present the final specifications. The commission is still waiting for information from Massachusetts Wildlife’s Natural Heritage and Endangered Species regarding the endangered turtles at the site. 

In other Hickory Ridge news, Ziomek reported that the town will be repairing some of the damage to the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act)-approved accessible trail at the main entrance of the property from the recent storm, and that the trail will be open to the public in the near future. The deteriorating clubhouse has been demolished.

Resistance to Archipelago’s Mixed-use Proposal at Atkins Corner Continues
Kyle Wilson of Archipelago Investments attempted to justify the wetlands encroachment of the three-building, four-story mixed-use project the company wants to build at Atkins Corner by noting that surveys do not show wetlands at the site until after the development of Hampshire Village, Applewood, and the Upper Orchard. He stated that the wetlands are the result of stormwater drainage from those developments and that the Archipelago project plans improve the situation by diverting the drainage toward Bay Road and West Street. 

Wilson also said that in developing some of the area in the wetlands buffer zone  there, Archipelago will be removing the lead arsenic-contaminated soil from when it was  an orchard. If the new construction avoids the wetlands, he said, they would have to put up a chain link fence to keep out children who might eat the soil. Commissioners questioned this contention, noting that there is no fencing up now and that this was not a requirement for the development of Applewood, Hampshire Village, and the Upper Orchard. Ziomek stated that regulations have changed in the last decade or so, and that both the Eric Carle Museum and the roundabouts at Bay Road and West Street required removal of the top foot of contaminated soil. 

Wetlands scientist Ward Smith recently visited the site to recertify the wetlands boundary. He added two flags that slightly extend the area. 

Members of the public were not swayed by Wilson’s presentation. Several people who live in the surrounding area urged the Conservation Commission to abide by its bylaws and not permit construction in the buffer zone. They spoke of interference with wildlife and said the project is too large for the area. However, Ed Wingenbach, president of Hampshire College, which owns the land, said the area is zoned for dense residential development and that Amherst sorely needs more housing for those working in town. He felt that the project should not be punished because surrounding developments haven’t controlled their stormwater. 

The project will be discussed again at the June 11 meeting of the Conservation Commission. 

Putting in a Lawn is Disturbance of Wetlands Buffer
In 2023, the Conservation Commission allowed a new Poet’s Corner residence to construct a driveway within the 100-foot wetlands buffer zone because an easement prevented it from being sited anywhere else. Recently, neighbors noted heavy equipment near the driveway. When approached by Wetlands Administrator Erin Jacque, the owners acknowledged that they were planning for a lawn next to the driveway in an area that further encroaches on the buffer zone; it is within 50 feet of the zone. The area cleared exceeds the work area specified in the permit. 

Commission Chair Michelle Labbe stated that it is a common misconception that only impervious pavement interferes with wetlands, and that grass is also considered a disturbance. The commission decided to issue an order of noncompliance and to require the owners to plant native plants in the disturbed area. They suggested a number of species, with a preference for woody shrubs such as blueberry or winterberry.

Water Testing at Puffer’s Pond to Begin Next WeekWith Puffer’s Pond having been closed for swimming most of last summer due to e.coli contamination, the town is getting an early start to water testing there this year. Ziomek said the weekly testing will be more robust this year. Also, the town plans to test upstream sites once a month to pinpoint the sources of contamination. Sediments will also be analyzed to get a picture of contamination over time. Results will be posted on the town website.