CRC Recommends David Sloviter and David Ahlfeld for Zoning Board of Appeals Vacancies

Report on the Meeting of the Community Resources Committee, June 26, 2025

This meeting was held over Zoom and was recorded.

Present
Pam Rooney (District 4, Chair), Pat DeAngelis (District 2), Mandi Jo Hanneke (at large), Cathy Schoen (District 1), and Jennifer Taub (District 4).

Four applicants were considered for two three-year openings for full members and four one-year associate positions on the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA). After interviewing the candidates, the Community Resources Committee (CRC) unanimously recommended that David Sloviter and David Ahlfeld be appointed as full members, and Hilda Greenbaum and Steven KaCey serve as associate members. Sloviter has served for the past 18 months as a full member, completing the term of John Gilbert, who resigned in November, 2023. Ahlfeld and Greenbaum have both served as associate members—Ahlfeld for one year and Greenbaum for two years. This would be KaCey’s first term on the ZBA. The full council will take up the recommendations at the June 30 meeting. 

Greenbaum stated that she has been involved with the ZBA for many years in many different roles. She has previously served on the ZBA as a full member and served as acting chair and has been a petitioner and an abutter. As a landlord, she said she can evaluate leases, and she is versed in home restoration. She also pointed out that, if appointed, she would be the only woman on the ZBA and the only resident of North Amherst. She is a neuroscientist by training. She said she is willing to research areas of uncertainty in the Zoning Bylaw.

Sloviter said he had learned a lot in his 3+ years on the ZBA as both an associate and a full member. He said he reads all the material distributed and has only missed two site visits. He feels he is prepared for meetings and can weigh all the facts in the public hearings to arrive at the best decision for all involved. He is a retired businessman.

Ahlfeld is a retired UMass Professor of Civil Engineering who specialized in water-related topics. He said he was able to provide insight for the ZBA when the proposed mixed-use development on Amity Street and University Drive came back to the board for revision of its Special Permit due to the high-water table and wetlands at the site. 

KaCey is a student and lifelong Amherst resident. He has worked for the Board of Assessors and in the Finance Department and he said he is highly motivated to volunteer for the town. He said that he is a skillful listener who can make sure that all parties feel like they are heard. Although he has not served on the ZBA, he said he has attended several meetings and watched some of the recordings and has been impressed by the process and discussions. 

All of the applicants noted that it is the role of the ZBA to evaluate proposed projects that are not allowed “by right,” and the board members must consider the impact of the projects on the neighborhood and the community as a whole, using the Zoning Bylaw as a guide.
The CRC members came to a consensus after a brief discussion. All felt that KaCey would benefit from a year’s experience as an associate member. Most said they were impressed with Ahleld’s civil engineering experience, and said they felt he could add that expertise to the board. There was not a clear preference between Greenbaum and Sloviter, but in the end the the committee settled on Sloviter for the other open full position, because he has already been serving in that capacity.