Approval of New Plan for Lincoln Ave ADU Delayed by Concern for Large Beech Tree
Architect's rendering of new ADU plan for 290 Lincoln Ave. The ADU is now proposed to be located behind the main house. Photo: amherstma.gov
Report on the Meeting of the Local Historic District Commission, September 8, 2026
This meeting was held over Zoom and was recorded.
Present
Nancy Ratner (Chair), Greta Wilcox, Steve Bloom, and Ben Lynch. Absent: Betty Sharpe, Nicole Miller, and Bruce Coldham
Staff: Walker Powell (Planner)
New Design for Lincoln Avenue AD Praised, but Concern Raised for Beech Tree
After a large accessory dwelling unit (ADU) close to the sidewalk at 290 Lincoln Avenue was panned by the Local Historic District Commission (LHDC) at its August 24 meeting and also by a staff report, Rachel Stevens of Maple Street Architects presented a new design at the LHDC’s Sept. 8 meeting. The redesign received praise from commissioners until an abutter raised concern for the health of a large beech tree at the edge of the property. The commission deferred a decision until their Sept. 28 meeting.
The new design, developed after a site visit by the commissioners, moved the ADU behind the existing house and eliminated the top floor and the three-car garage on the ground floor. The roof design was also changed from a gambrel style to a traditional roof. The resulting design meets the 900-square-foot maximum floor area for a protected ADU and is lower than the principal dwelling.
Owner Yu Pan Tzeng was also amenable to using wood siding and larger windows matching the existing house for the ADU, rather than the proposed fiber cement Hardie Board and smaller windows.
The new design garnered support from all commissioners until an abutter, Patricia Stacey, raised concerns about a large beech tree between the two properties that she worried the ADU at the rear of the property would harm and that its weakening would endanger her house.
Stacey said the tree, which she estimated has a five-foot-diameter trunk, may be the largest tree in Amherst. She noted that beech trees have a shallow root system extending to twice the canopy diameter. Although the ADU would be built on a concrete slab, she maintained that the excavation for the foundation, about four feet deep, would damage the tree’s roots and put it at risk of collapse. The tree is inside the property line of 290 Lincoln Ave.
Stevens said there were ways to protect the tree during construction, but the LHDC wanted an arborist’s opinion. Planner Walker Powell will ask tree warden Alan Snow to evaluate the situation. The property owner may also hire an independent arborist if he wishes. Another abutter, Melissa Ferris, noted that Amherst requires that the Historic Commission also approve the removal of any tree greater than 18 inches in diameter located in a historic district or on a scenic road.
The LHDC deferred a decision until its meeting on Sept. 28, when it hopes to get the arborist’s assessment and review a redesign of the siding and windows.
Decision on ADU at 321 Lincoln also Deferred Pending Redesign
Tzeng’s plan to build an ADU at 321 Lincoln Avenue presented fewer issues than the one at 290 Lincoln because it would be located behind the principal structure and would not be as visible from the street. However, commission members were still troubled by the three-car garage on the ground floor, even though the design removed the proposed top floor.
Powell pointed out that the town attorney said that although the LHDC must allow the ADU by right under state law, the garage is not a protected structure and the commission may deny it.
The commissioners in attendance unanimously opposed the garage and requested a new design that eliminated it. Stevens offered to show them a design without the garage, but the LHDC wanted more time to evaluate the redesign and postponed their vote on approval to the Sept. 28 meeting.
They thanked Stevens for her willingness to produce new designs and for listening to the commission’s concerns.
East Amherst Local Historic District Recommended to Town Council
The LHDC unanimously recommended forwarding its endorsement of an East Amherst Local Historic District to the Town Council. Because creating the local historic district is a zoning amendment, it will need two-thirds approval from the council. Steve Bloom hoped the topic would be on the council agenda in September. The Planning Board narrowly endorsed the proposal in August.