Public Comment: There Are Proven Ways to Stabilize Amherst’s Neighborhoods

The following public comment was offered at the meeting of the Amherst Town Council on October 6, 2025.

Identifying student housing is vital. Data is essential for analyzing problems and we do not have the data on student housing here in Amherst. We can all see what happens when government decides to avoid collecting data, thanks to what is transpiring in our current national political scene.  I would like to think we are wiser than that here in Amherst.

Amherst residents should not have to rely on the price of their homes to ensure the stability of their neighborhoods or the value of their home investments.  It has been glibly augured by some on Town Council that “change happens”. This is certainly true – change is a constant. But we can choose to regulate and guide change so that it minimizes disruptions to our quality of life. This is especially important in Amherst, the smallest town in the U.S. to host a flagship public university.  Limiting the density of student housing by establishing lot line -to-lot line minimum distances between student housing has worked in college communities like State College Pennsylvania, Wilmington, Delaware, Boulder, Colorado, and Ithaca, New York. This has reduced the impact of student rentals on these towns’ quality of life for all their neighborhoods, and has helped to stabilize housing markets buffeted by rampant, unregulated investment.  Zoning codes from at least some of these communities have been forwarded to Town Council previously. It is time for Town Council to study them seriously, and to learn from and adopt them.

I would also suggest that Amherst should require the names of all individual investors in LLCs buying properties in Amherst to be part of the public record. Although Massachusetts state law mandates that all the names of investors in LLCs be registered and available as part of the public record, Amherst zoning regulations do not require all LLC partners to appear in the town’s public records. By having all members of LLCs registered and available upon request, we could know if there is overlapping ownership of problem properties. This would allow us to learn to what extent property investment is being driven by local investors. And it would also give renters more information on which to base their decisions when it comes to choosing a new abode. If an LLC landlord has a reputation for poor property management or abusive lease practices, the community should have a right to know who, specifically, is adversely impacting the social fabric of the town.  Partners’ names should be on the public record, easily accessible for students and non-students alike.  Fair and informed market decisions and the court of public opinion depend on accurate and complete information.