Amherst Community Homes Project is Underway
Architect's rendering of duplex unit for Amherst Community Homes, an affordable development on Ball Lane. Photo: amherstma.gov
Site work has begun in preparation for construction of Amherst Community Homes, 15 duplexes for 30 first-time homeowners on Montague Road in North Amherst. The project will take about a year to complete with home-owners moving in by the end of summer 2026.
At a groundbreaking ceremony on April 29, Valley Community Development Corporation (Valley CDC) Executive Director Alexis Breiteneicher welcomed neighbors, town officials, and project sponsors. Lynn Griesemer, Amherst Town Council president, praised the project participants for working collaboratively, commented on some of the wonderful programs and facilities in this part of town, like the Survival Center and Mill River Recreation Area, and said that over the last two years, Project Manager Jessica Allan has pulled together lenders, town officials, and neighbors to piece together the many components of the project, including land acquisition, soil testing, design, funding, lenders, builders, and neighborhood buy-in with such success that it seems everyone is not only on-board but delighted.
In the neighborhood, we joke that we are YIMBYs (Yes In My Backyard) about the project and applaud the fact that Valley CDC not only listened to abutters and other neighbors well before plans were finalized, but made adjustments to accommodate their concerns, including construction of an attractive wooden fence and moving a parking area.
Originally, neighbors had two major concerns unrelated to specific details of the project. Because the site had been the decades-long location of a trucking company, operating long before environmental regulations mandated safe disposal of oil, gas, and other toxic materials, we assumed the ground would be contaminated with oil and fuel. Valley CDC hired experts to conduct an extensive investigation of the site and, to the astonishment of many of us, concluded the ground was not contaminated. When neighbors continued to be concerned, not wanting young families of modest means to live on top of a toxic site, the District One Neighborhood Association hired its own hydrologist and soil expert to review the site. That researcher came to the same conclusion.
A second concern has been that the project would disrupt a very well-established wildlife corridor that crosses the field where the homes will be built. For the last month — since the construction fence has been constructed, encircling the site and with numerous trucks and heavy equipment in constant motion five days a week— we continue to have deer in our backyards, and I confess that last week bears destroyed two bird feeders that we accidentally left out overnight. Just this week a neighbor had her bird feeder ripped off a tree. The wildlife seem to be getting around just fine!
The 30 families who will become homeowners will be selected by lottery, and there were several hopeful candidates at the ground-breaking. Valley is already training would-be home-owners about the ins and outs of home ownership. Our neighborhood looks forward to welcoming our new neighbors to our wonderful part of Amherst. I can already see Pulpit Hill Road closed for a big welcome to North Amherst barbecue!
Read additional reporting about the Amherst Community Homes project in the Daily Hampshire Gazette,
This is wonderful news! Building for families is the foundation for Amherst’s civic participation and civic renewal. Congratulations to all who made this project work, and congratulations to North Amherst for welcoming and supporting it.