Archipelago Withdraws its Application for Atkins Corner Project
Architect's rendering of the proposed housing development at Atkins Corner. Photo: amherstma.gov
On Monday, October 20, 2025, Archipelago Investments withdrew its application for the development of a three building, 262 bedroom housing complex near Atkins Market in South Amherst. A letter from Kyle Wilson indicated that Archipelago requested to withdraw its application without prejudice to “allow for Hampshire [College] to re-evaluate available options and potentially refile a new application in the future.”
The proposed development has generated strong opposition from neighboring residents who have been requesting that the project be significantly reduced in size and that it comply with existing wetlands and zoning bylaws. A large portion of the property is wetlands and wetland buffer, and the proposed project called for significant encroachment into these areas. The Conservation Commission hearings on a request for a variance to these restrictions have been ongoing since May 2025. Archipelago had responded by asking the Commission to change the town’s wetlands bylaws to exempt village centers, so that their project could proceed as proposed. At their September meeting, the Conservation Commission explicitly voted that they would not entertain bylaw revisions for this project and gave Archipelago until October 24 to produce a plan that conformed to existing regulations.
It is not clear whether Hampshire College, as owners of the property in question, will continue to work with Archipelago or with a different entity to develop these parcels.
Archipelago (or another developer) could create a true win for Amherst—its residents, its planet, and its future—by beginning by asking what “win” looks like. It’s not by overbuilding and encroaching, but with a durable contribution to the town’s health, economy, ecology, and sense of place. At Atkins Corner, on Hampshire College’s land zoned Business–Village Center, a successful developer could sustain balance without variances or wetlands fights by designing with the land, not against it.
The B‑VC rules already support moderate-density, mixed-use development with up to 40-foot buildings, neighborhood-scaled commerce, and a pedestrian focus. Imagine a modest cluster—two buildings at most—set comfortably outside the 100‑foot wetlands buffer, with permeable surfaces, native plant buffers, and solar canopies shading small shared parking areas. One building might offer 20–24 cooperative or workforce-owned apartments above ground-floor essentials: a café, coworking space, a repair or reuse shop—ventures that keep spending and social life local. The second, smaller building could house a daycare or clinic, helping working families and aging neighbors alike. They would be “purpose built” for year round residents, just as the private dorms are purpose built for students.
Conservation and commerce could merge here: instead of “reducing” wetlands impact, we could enhance it—with public access trails, nature learning nodes for Hampshire students, and a restored pollinator corridor linking Atkins’ farmland to the Mount Holyoke Range. This version of Atkins Corner could be a demonstration project: low-carbon, affordable-by-design, nourishing daily life, and visually fitting into South Amherst’s rural backdrop.
If we begin with that end in mind—something Amherst can proudly say yes to—we’ll discover that smart zoning is already the path, not the obstacle. Build small, balanced, and beloved. Then watch a divided town start building trust again, one village corner at a time.
Ira :
You said an important word , “ Trust “ .
I don’t Trust our planning board to represent the taxpayers interest . They have been swayed by a non stop density mantra ,that overwhelms the interest , in preserving our neighborhoods and the historical value of our town .
Overlay here , overlay there . Who can keep up with it . A moratorium is needed to slow them down . They won’t do it on their own .
As a former long-time resident of Amherst, remembering when Atkins was just a one lane checkout over 50 yrs. ago; I’m very pleased that this project did NOT HAPPEN! I still consider myself a TOWNIE; Amherst has been altered so much, please can this area be kept as is?
Thank you for this very thoughtful recommendation, Ira. I’m also for small, balanced and beloved development or maintenance of what we already have.