Letter: Is Amherst Destined to Become an Extension of the UMass Campus?

The following letter was sent to the Planning Board, Planning Department and Amherst Town Council on February 3, 2025.

I’m writing because I care deeply about Amherst remaining a livable town for year‑round residents as well as students.

Our housing decisions are increasingly driven by a large, transient student population, while a much smaller year‑round population carries the long‑term costs. Investor‑owned student rentals are steadily replacing homes for families and workers, hollowing out neighborhoods and driving up prices. At the same time, five‑story private student buildings downtown add risk: if demand changes, Amherst could be left with empty or underused buildings that never truly served non‑student residents in the first place.

As you consider implementation steps, I urge you to look closely at the recent Dodson & Flinker work on the future of downtown. While that process was civil and interactive, the group was dominated by UMass and development interests, and underrepresented year‑round residents who are worried about overbuilding and the erosion of a year‑round economy. The minority views in that workgroup reflect a strong, town‑wide concern about overdevelopment and should be taken as seriously as the majority vision.

As you refine the Housing Production Plan and Zoning Priorities List, I urge you to make three things central. First, set an explicit goal to shift more student housing onto the UMass campus through clear targets and timelines. Every on‑campus bed reduces speculative pressure on our neighborhoods. Second, protect and rebuild year‑round neighborhoods by discouraging the conversion of single‑ and two‑family homes into high‑rent student houses and by improving oversight of rentals. Third, right‑size density with strong design standards, so new development actually advances mixed‑income, year‑round housing rather than just more luxury student units.

This is not anti‑student or anti‑growth. It is about balance and long‑term stewardship. Please align the Housing Production Plan and zoning priorities with that balance, so Amherst can remain a real town, not just an off‑campus housing market.

Ira Bryck

Ira Bryck has lived in Amherst since 1993, ran the Family Business Center for 25 years, hosted the “Western Mass. Business Show” on WHMP for seven years, now coaches business leaders, and is a big fan of Amherst’s downtown.