Amherst Community Land Trust Asks Affordable Housing Trust to Support Amity Street Project

Report on the Meeting of the Amherst Municipal Affordable Housing Trust, November 13, 2025

This meeting was held over Zoom and was recorded.

Present
Gaston de los Reyes (chair), Alex Cox, Allegra Clark, Rob Allingham, Bob Pomeroy, Karla Rasche, Heejae Kim, and Town Manager Paul Bockelman. 

Staff: Greg Richane (Housing Coordinator)

Five Affordable Homeownership Units Planned for Amity Street
Amherst Community Land Trust (ACLT) president Linda Slakey gave a presentation on the land trust’s plan to develop five affordable units at 174 Amity Street. ACLT has been offered the property for $475,000, one-third less than the appraised value, and has plans to create three units in the existing 150-year-old house and have Habitat for Humanity construct a duplex on the property. All five units would be offered for home ownership to low- and moderate-income buyers and be affordable at that level in perpetuity. ACLT is seeking funds from the Amherst Municipal Affordable Housing Trust (AMAHT) to help in the purchase of the property and the renovation of the existing house. The group has also applied for Community Preservation Act (CPA) funds for FY2027.

Using the land trust model, ACLT owns the land, and the homeowners own their houses with a 99-year ground lease from ACLT. If the homeowner moves, the home must be sold at an affordable price, with the increase in sale price limited to the increase in area median income. ACLT currently has seven houses in Amherst and is poised to acquire three more in the coming months in addition to the Amity Street property.

AMAHT recently received over $1 million from the Roberts Group LLC as payment in lieu of creating three affordable units in the new mixed-use building behind the former Hastings store at 55 South Pleasant Street, which is rented to Amherst College. According to the Inclusionary Zoning bylaw, the payment is meant to be used to create affordable housing and “off-site units shall be located within the same zoning district or within 500 feet of the premises of the development” (Zoning Bylaw 15.170).

ACLT is asking AMAHT for a $175,000 grant and a $300,000 loan for acquiring the property and a $100,000 grant and a $275,000 loan for redevelopment. The loans will be repaid when the units are sold, leaving AMAHT money for other projects. Although ACLT will purchase the land, Habitat for Humanity will finance building the duplex. In addition to applying to AMAHT and CPA, the group plans private fundraising and applications to other organizations devoted to affordable housing. 

The proposal received enthusiastic support from AMAHT members Alex Cox and Allegra Clark who both felt that it fit with the trust’s goal to create 20 affordable homeownership opportunities in the next five years and that it satisfied the intent of the Inclusionary Zoning bylaw. Cox said “Allegra pointed out how closely this aligns with our internal goals in our action plan. I know some of our newer members might feel that this is a lot of money to put in one place, but I was actually surprised at how low this ask was. This is an incredibly experienced team that ACLT has put together. This is a wonderful location for a project. This is a sized project that the town has expressed support for in the missing middle scale.” He continued, “Part of why we exist is our flexibility to cover gaps that are hard to cover like this predevelopment work and this bridge loan. This is for us a one-time expenditure that is going to enable affordable homeownership opportunities for five households forever.”

Other AMAHT members expressed reservations about the amount of the trust’s money that would be tied up in the project and also the fact that the trust has never before administered a loan. AMAHT chair Gaston de los Reyes wanted to know more specifics about who would be the general contractor and a detailed pro forma for the project. There were also questions raised about how the property would be maintained with five homeowners and how a homeowners’ association would operate. 

Slakey replied that many of these details have yet to be worked out, since this is the first multi-unit project that ACLT has undertaken. The project must also get approval from the Conservation Commission because of a small wetlands area in the rear of the lot, as well as  permits from the Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals. 

Town Manager Paul Bockelman recommended that the trust be more pro-active in the future, rather than just supporting projects brought before them. The town is currently considering housing at the South Amherst school building on the South Amherst Common and possibly at Hickory Ridge on West Pomeroy Lane. 

Housing Coordinator Greg Richane noted that, because the project is not relying on state aid, it can progress more rapidly than those requiring a Comprehensive Permit, such as Amherst Community Homes in North Amherst and the East Street/Belchertown Road development that is still waiting for its permit from the state. The Grose family, owners of  the Amity Street property, has been participating in the planning and is flexible regarding the timetable for development.

AMAHT will discuss the proposal at subsequent meetings. The CPA committee is beginning its evaluation of applications this month, and will make recommendations on which proposals should be funded in December. The Town Council must approve the recommendations. 

Because ACLT is  a Community Development Corporation, donors are eligible for a state tax credit of 50% of donations of at least $1,000.

AMAHT Laments Loss of Housing for 230 Students in Olympia Drive Fire
Bockelman acknowledged the large fire on November 7 that destroyed the nine-year-old apartment-style private dormitory on Olympia Drive and displaced 230 students. The five-story building under construction next door was also destroyed. Bockelman said that the students, mostly undergraduates, were told to evacuate when the fire was noted and never could reenter before the building was demolished.” They lost everything,” he said, “Passports, visas, pets, musical instruments that they’ve had since they were children.” He noted that the university has stepped up to meet the needs of the students. There was a housing fair to help them find new apartments, and the dining commons are serving them for free. Cox noted that the university’s Student Support and Wellness fund and the New2You thrift store at Hampden Commons are also offering aid to displaced students. 

Clark noted that several apartment complexes in town are waiving application fees and Amherst Innovative Living, which manages the Olympia Drive dorm, has refunded security deposits and the month’s rent. She warned of the possibility that some landlords will try to price-gouge due to the housing shortage. 

No cause has yet to be determined for the fire, according to Bockelman.

Interfaith Housing Group Disbands and Donates Remaining Funds to AMAHT
The Interfaith Housing Association of Amherst dissolved its nonprofit corporation and donated its remaining funds to AMAHT. Chair Robert Ryan told AMAHT that the paperwork for the dissolution has been completed and that there is approximately $36,000 that will go to the trust. 

The Interfaith Housing Association was established in 1996 to enable the construction of Village Park on East Pleasant Street and has since contributed to Craig’s Doors and East Gables on Northampton Road. In 2024, the group voted to dissolve.