Staff Shortages in Planning Department Will Require Adjustments to Planning Board Work

Report on the Meeting of the Amherst Planning Board, June 3, 2026

This meeting was held over Zoom and was recorded.

Present: Planning Board: Doug Marshall (chair), Bruce Coldham, Fred Hartwell, Johanna Neumann, Angus McLeod, Jerah Smith, and Jesse Mager. Staff: Walker Powell (planner) and Pam Field-Sadler (planning assistant).

With the departure of Assistant Planning Director Nate Malloy to become town manager in Hadley, Planning and Economic Development Director Jeff Bagg outlined how staff shortages will impact the Planning Board. He said Malloy’s position has been posted, but it could take four to eight months to fill.

In a May 28 memo to the Planning Board, Bagg stated that Walker Powell will provide professional support to the board until Malloy’s position is filled. Pam Field-Sadler will continue to provide administrative support. Bagg noted that, because Powell currently has responsibility for the Community Development Block Grant program, which involves millions of dollars in grants, and also staffs the Historical Commission and the Local Historical District Commission, work with the Planning Board is being added to her already full workload.

With reduced staffing, the Planning Board will discontinue separate meetings of the Housing and Zoning Subcommittee and confine discussion of those topics to its regular meetings. The Planning Department and Planning Board will focus on efforts already underway, including the Clean Energy Bylaw, Downtown Design Standards, the East Amherst Zoning Study, Hampshire College Land Use Planning, South Campus School Planning, and Wildwood School Campus Planning.

Although Bagg said the Planning Board could continue working on zoning amendments as outlined in its priorities, he wanted to review proposed amendments to ensure they were complete and feasible before advancing them through the review process, which involves public hearings and review by the Community Resources Committee. He said advancing zoning amendments triggers certain deadlines that may put too much pressure on staff at this time, adding, “We really can’t sustain the same level of activity. I know there’s a temptation to feel like we can, but we really have to acknowledge that it’s a gap.”

Planning Board member Jesse Mager said he appreciated Bagg’s memo and valued the planning staff, but was concerned that requiring the board to draft zoning amendments would mean too much work for board members who are not experts. “In the last year and a half,” he said, “we’ve taken a different approach, largely at Nate’s urging, which was let’s put things forward at a little quicker pace to see what the appetite is for that particular thing.” He asked whether temporary staff might be available to help. Bagg mentioned that Building Commissioner Rob Morra might be able to assist and noted that his own position as Director of Planning and Economic Development includes representing the town at the regional and state level to promote economic development — a role he does not want to lose during the temporary shortage.

Consultants Prepared to Help Town Frame New Uses for Hampshire College
Bagg presented the Planning Board with a condensed overview of Amherst’s collaboration with MassDevelopment regarding the future use of the Hampshire College campus. He said MassDevelopment gives the town access to skilled consultants to determine how the campus can be used to generate additional tax revenue and provide various types of housing, with the goal of balancing development against preservation of important resource areas.

The plan calls for beginning immediately with a detailed assessment of existing conditions at the site by the Horsley Witten Group, mapping wetlands and examining existing infrastructure, utilities, and the condition of the buildings. A public listening session is planned for July to present findings about the property and recommendations on how best to use it to further the goals of the Master Plan, the 2024 Housing Production Plan, and the Comprehensive Housing Policy.

In August, the town, along with landscape architecture firm Dodson & Flinker, hopes to hold stakeholder meetings with relevant boards, committees, and residents to help refine the vision for the property. This phase will involve charrettes for the public and probably a walking tour of the site. The goal is to rezone the parcel for other uses by year’s end. Bruce Coldham suggested that some public meetings be held at the Red Barn on the Hampshire College campus. Bagg said he was unsure whether that would be possible.

Despite Controversy Surrounding Bylaw, ADU Permit Applications Continue to Be Processed
Planning Board Chair Doug Marshall asked about the status of implementation of the Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) bylaw, expressing concern that some units are larger than the 900 square feet allowed under the protective ADU statute.

Powell replied that she could not go into much detail because an appeal regarding the size of one ADU is scheduled to be heard by the Zoning Board of Appeals in July, when a detailed discussion will take place. Mager asked what was happening with ADU applications in the meantime. Powell said the building commissioner is continuing to process applications using the same approval criteria as before.

Planning Board and CRC Continue Hearing on Clean Energy Bylaw
The Planning Board was joined by the Community Resources Committee (CRC) to continue its public hearing on the proposed Clean Energy Bylaw. The two groups continued to review the bylaw line by line, aided by Sustainability Director Stephanie Ciccarello.

The groups determined that more information was needed from the fire department regarding requirements and materials for fire suppression for Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), and from the Water Supply Protection Committee and the Conservation Committee about setback requirements for solar arrays from private wells. Coldham suggested that, since only 100 feet of separation between a private well and a septic system is required, a 250-foot setback should not be needed for a solar array. Neumann pointed out that solar arrays themselves present little danger to drinking water, but that land clearing required for their construction may increase erosion and contaminate groundwater. Ciccarello said she would attempt to gather this information in time for the June 17 meeting.

Discussion of the bylaw will continue at another joint meeting of the CRC and Planning Board on June 17.

Changes on the Planning Board
This was Neumann’s last Planning Board meeting, as she is unable to attend the June 17 meeting. Marshall thanked her for six years of service on the board. Effective July 1, Roy Johnson will join the board.

Marshall also announced his retirement from UMass, effective June 5. “There’s been criticism during my time on the board that I’m just here doing UMass’s work to encourage housing in Amherst by somebody other than UMass,” he said. “I have not felt that was the case. For my remaining year on the board, I want anybody to just see if my opinions have changed, because I’ve been behaving and acting consistent with my beliefs, regardless of who I work for.”