AMHERST — Creating a more walkable boulevard on North Pleasant Street between the University of Massachusetts campus and downtown Amherst will continue to be the focus for the Amherst Redevelopment Authority.

At the ARA meeting Tuesday, members said that they expect to remain committed to shepherding the Gateway Corridor Project into reality, at least up until June 29, when ACP Visioning and Planning consultants are expected to make a presentation on a final draft vision for the area to the redevelopment authority and the Planning Board. The time and location of that presentation are still being decided.

Aaron Hayden, a member of the authority and Select Board, said the ARA needs to do what it can in support of the final draft vision. “I would like to consider what our role will be to move it forward,” Hayden said.

Vision changed

The difficulty for the ARA comes following a three-day planning charrette held in April in which ACP, which was hired for $30,000 using ARA money, fleshed out a vision for the stretch based on feedback it received from residents, town and UMass officials and business owners.

The plan includes predominantly housing in the areas closest to the UMass campus, possibly for young professionals and retired individuals, with more intense commercial and condominium development toward the downtown and adjacent to Kendrick Park.

Under this concept, there is a more defined connection between UMass and downtown than now exists, but with green space and less intense development than was being discussed when former Town Manager Larry Shaffer first unveiled the concept for the Gateway. This was done to accommodate concerns of residents living in neighborhoods near the project worried about the impact of increasing the supply of off-campus student housing.

Coinciding with the planning sessions was an urban renewal eligibility assessment to determine how best the ARA can remain involved with the project. While properties on Phillips Street and along some of the western side of North Pleasant Street are being considered as potential sites for urban renewal, much of the project scope would not qualify and would not be considered blighted properties, according to consultant Karen Cullen.

In her concluding remarks, Cullen observes that designating the Gateway as an Urban Renewal Area will be challenging. “While it appears some of the area is eligible for URA designation, it is not a strong case,” she writes.

ARA Chairman John Coull said the issue facing the ARA is how to proceed if urban renewal is not a core objective. “Is this reduced scope of the project something we’re going to pursue?” Coull asked.

In its signature project, the development of the Boltwood Walk area, the ARA purchased parcels and then conveyed them to either the town or private developers for buildings like the Bangs Community Center, the parking garage and the surrounding commercial development.

The other question facing the ARA is the commitment from the university. While the town and UMass signed an agreement that the former fraternity row site would be a core piece of the Gateway, Coull said there is a need to determine whether UMass would back out from this deal with the scope of the project reduced.

“In terms of visions, it’s been limited to some degree,” Coull said.

ARA member Peggy Roberts said her committee should stay involved, as the town want to make sure that development on the now grassed-over site of fraternity row is done in a manner consistent with the ideas expressed in the charrette. “If that parcel is lost, the community will have very little to say about it,” Roberts said.

Voices heard

The planning charrette for the Gateway has served to calm the fears that Gateway would be intense development of housing for undergraduate students.

Town Manager John Musante said he feels there was a large and representative turnout, from residents in nearby neighborhoods to members of the business community.

“It’s fair to say most people by Saturday night were positive about what they heard and felt listened to,” Musante said.

Musante said one of the next steps, recommended by ACP, will likely be a market study focused on the housing potential which would guide possible zoning revisions.

The final draft vision shows that the east side of Kendrick Park could be an area for commercial development, while the west side would feature residential development and be a buffer for neighborhoods.

The northern end of Kendrick, referred to as “The Hinge,” would be an area with intensive development with a deliberate visual impact that one was entering the Gateway. ”

Planning Director Jonathan Tucker recently spoke at a Council on Aging meeting to let its members know that Gateway housing would likely be aimed at retirees, empty-nesters and first-time home buyers. Though the university originally approached the town with idea that students should live there, Tucker said there is a decreasing chance that undergraduate housing would be in the mix. The need for this type of housing has been minimized, in part he said, because the university’s master plan calls for constructing new housing on campus for the Commonwealth College honors program.

Meanwhile, the ARA has a list of other areas and properties in Amherst that could be the focus of its work in the future, including North Amherst, properties on Kellogg Avenue and around the Amtrak railroad station.

But Roberts said it would be premature to think of shifting away from the Gateway.
ARA member Jeanne Traester agreed.

“It would be a waste of time to think about other projects when we’re in the throes of this big one,” Traester said.