Affordable Housing Trust Contributes to Solar Panels on Amherst Community Homes Project

Report on the Meeting of the Amherst Municipal Affordable Housing Trust, May 14, 2026

This meeting was held over Zoom and was recorded.

Present: Gaston de los Reyes (chair), Alex Cox, Allegra Clark, Karla Rasche, Heejae Kim, Bob Pomeroy, and Paul Bockelman (town manager). Absent: Rob Allingham. Staff: Greg Richane (housing coordinator).

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Solar Panels for Affordable Duplexes in North Amherst
State Rep. Mindy Domb appeared before the May 14 meeting of the Amherst Municipal Affordable Housing Trust (AMAHT) to request that the trust help Valley Community Development put solar panels on the roofs of Amherst Community Homes, the soon-to-be-completed 30 affordable homeownership units in North Amherst. She said she and state Sen. Jo Comerford had sought to include the solar panels in a housing bond bill, but that funding would not come through in time.

Domb noted that the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC) had allocated $200,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds toward the solar installation, but the remaining $220,000 of the estimated $420,000 total needed to be secured by the end of May to access that money. Valley CDC was willing to contribute $120,000, leaving the initiative $100,000 short. Domb hoped AMAHT would make up the difference, citing the opportunity to pair clean energy with affordable housing.

Jessica Allen, real estate and development director for Valley CDC, said the duplexes are passive solar construction, but Valley has observed that tenants in its other complexes are experiencing high electric bills — a concern, given that the duplexes rely exclusively on electricity.

Allen said the original plans included rooftop solar, but that feature was cut due to insufficient funds. Unanticipated construction issues stemming from the early, cold winter and other site problems have consumed all but $100,000 of the contingency funds. The project is not eligible for additional state funds, and no grant funding is available.

PV Squared prepared the original rooftop solar plans and submitted the lowest bid for the current project. Allen said the plans call for enough panels to cover heating and cooling costs — not a full buildout — and estimates the installation will save homeowners about $100 per month in electricity costs.

All units will be sold to first-time homebuyers earning between 80% and 100% of area median income. Resale values will be restricted for 30 years to preserve long-term affordability. Of the 53 applicants in the lottery, 36 are Amherst residents, work in Amherst, or have children in Amherst public schools; 17 are people of color. The first units are expected to be ready for occupancy in June, with the remainder available shortly after.

AMAHT members were unanimously supportive. Housing Coordinator Greg Richane said the trust has about $1.7 million in its account. Member Bob Pomeroy suggested committing $137,500 of those funds to the solar installation, an amount that would not jeopardize the project’s remaining contingency funds. AMAHT has already contributed $750,000 to the project, which also received $750,000 in Community Preservation Act funds.

The motion to fund the solar installation passed unanimously. Allen estimated the work would take one to three months. Once all units are sold, the electric accounts will be transferred to the homeowners.

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ADU Survey
De los Reyes, Pomeroy, and Richane have been working to develop a postcard to mail to property owners gauging their interest in building accessory dwelling units (ADUs). The postcards will include a QR code linking recipients to an online survey. Printing and mailing costs are estimated at about $1,000. AMAHT hopes to assess community appetite for ADUs and, ideally, work with interested homeowners to develop programs to tie ADU development to housing affordability.

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Town Manager Laments Withdrawal of Beacon Communities’ Affordable Housing Project in North Amherst
Town Manager Paul Bockelman noted the withdrawal of Beacon Communities’ planned 140-unit affordable housing project for seniors and families in North Amherst. “Beacon Communities’ decision not to move forward with their proposal was really discouraging,” he said. “They had not even made a proposal before neighbors came out in force to oppose it and filed litigation against the town and the developer. We had people who serve on our appointed boards, elected officials in the district who were clearly against it, and no one speaking for it. It’s just really discouraging to have a project that was 100% affordable, built for families and seniors, aligned with the town’s goals in terms of the master plan, building near village centers, the housing production plan — with a proven developer who has capital available to them.”

He continued: “Were there issues to be worked out? Probably. And maybe it wasn’t going to happen. But to be in opposition before they even presented a proposal was just very discouraging to everybody advocating for affordable housing.” Bockelman acknowledged that the proposed site was marginal and that developing it would entail significant costs to the town, but said “all the easy land to develop has been developed.” He lamented that the opposition turned litigious so quickly, warning that it will make the trust’s work more difficult going forward.

Planning Board member Jerah Smith, in a public comment, echoed those concerns, saying the project “should have been a no-brainer” and that Amherst had “failed the people who could have been our neighbors in that building.” He called on affordable housing advocates to be more proactive in the future.

Allegra Clark asked whether Beacon Communities might be reluctant to propose future development in Amherst. Bockelman said the town has had a good relationship with the company, which manages North Square and Rolling Green, but he was unsure whether Beacon would pursue another project here.

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Priorities for Future Use of Hampshire College Land
Bockelman said the Town Council’s priorities for the future use of the roughly 600 acres of Hampshire College land within Amherst are housing and property tax revenue. He noted that much of the land is not developable, and that the existing large buildings present challenges — though some, like the tennis courts and pool, hold value for the community. He said it is not feasible for the town to purchase the land outright at a cost of $40 million without either a tax override or delaying construction of a new Department of Public Works facility, neither of which is desirable. He did, however, view rezoning the land to enable appropriate development as a realistic path forward.

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A Tribute to Connie Krueger
AMAHT member Karla Rasche noted the recent passing of Connie Krueger. “If you didn’t know her, she had a long history of working as a housing advocate,” Rasche said. “When I reached out to her after I was first appointed to the trust, she invited me over, and I still think about the things she taught me that evening. She really grounded me and gave me institutional memory about how Amherst works. She was just so knowledgeable and practical, and really intelligent and caring. She was on the Select Board at one point, too. I just wanted to, for the record, express my gratitude for everything she did for the town — thinking of all the shoulders we stand on and the meaningful work we still have to do.”

Bockelman thanked Rasche for the tribute. He added that Krueger worked for MassHousing Partnership for many years after serving as a town planner, and noted that she and her partner were among the first couples to marry in Amherst after same-sex marriage was legalized in Massachusetts. “She had a strong voice, and she did not suffer fools gladly, and also held people to a higher standard,” he said. “I felt that when I reported to her as a selectperson.”