Public Hearing on Establishing an East Amherst Local Historic District and Draft Design Guidelines Scheduled for January 12

The Local Historic District Committee (LHDC) will hold a hearing on whether the town should establish a third local historic district in East Amherst, the oldest section of Amherst, on Monday, January 12 at 7 p.m. on Zoom. A draft of design standards for local historic districts developed with a consultant from the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission will also be presented.

The establishment of a Local Historic District has been proposed for properties in the East Amherst Village Center area. Property owners in the area and members of the public are invited to attend this public hearing to discuss the proposed district. At this hearing, the Local Historic District Commission will review the Preliminary East Amherst Study Report that was submitted to the Massachusetts Historical Commission and the Amherst Planning Board for comments, review the map of the proposed district, and answer questions and facilitate a discussion regarding the Local Historic District.

The Local Historic District Commission is working with a consultant to write design guidelines that would apply to all Local Historic Districts in Amherst. These guidelines are designed to improve the application and review process by clarifying for applicants and the Commission on what basis projects are approved or denied, and giving applicants a road map to ensure their projects are approved as quickly as possible. At this hearing, the Local Historic District commission will review the Draft Design Guidelines, presented by the consultant and answer questions and receive feedback and comments from the public regarding the Draft Guidelines.

Information about the hearings is available by contacting Walker Powell at powellw@amherstma.gov in the Planning Department.