State’s PILOT Listening Session Highlights Shared Challenges for Amherst and Rural Towns
The state’s Special Commission on Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) held one of its...
Ira Bryck
Letter: ZBA Should Deny Permits for Oversized ADU’s
The following letter was sent to the Zoning Board of Appeals and to Planning Director...
Letter: UMass Amherst Should Be Part of the State’s PILOT Reimbursement Program
The following letter was sent to the Amherst Town Manager and Amherst Town Council on...
Opinion: Could a Fair Rent Pledge Work in Amherst?
The following column was written with the assistance of Perplexity AI. A copy was also...
Opinion: What’s Wrong with the Positive Growth Narrative
Amherst’s “positive growth” narrative, as framed in George Ryan’s recent article in the Amherst Current,...
Letter: It’s Time to Revisit Fieldstone Apartments’ Tax-exempt Status
The following letter was sent to the Amherst Town Council on May 5, 2026. Amherst...
Opinion: Amherst’s Year-Round Residents Deserve a Seat at the Table When UMass Plans Housing
UMass Amherst often cites a reassuring figure: that about 60% of its students live on...
Letter: Proposed Design Standards Will Yield a Better Downtown for All
The following letter was sent to the Amherst Planning Board on April 20, 2026. Amherst...
Opinion: Honor the Promise – Not a Penny More
The Town Council will soon vote on whether to authorize allocating $477,000 of Community Preservation...
Letter: Is Amherst Destined to Become an Extension of the UMass Campus?
The following letter was sent to the Planning Board, Planning Department and Amherst Town Council...