AMHERST — A development that could include housing and retail on contiguous vacant parcels owned by Hampshire College, between Atkins Farms Country Market and Applewood at Amherst and across West Bay Road from the Eric Carle Museum, begins making its way through municipal approvals this week.

Archipelago Investments LLC is coming before the Zoning Board of Appeals on Thursday at 6 p.m. requesting a variance from the town’s zoning requirement that the first floor of a mixed-use project contain 30% non-residential space. Instead, the Amherst developer is asking that this mandate be reduced to 10% of the gross floor area.

“Due to circumstances concerning soil conditions, the shape of the lot, and the topography of the land, literal enforcement of the zoning ordinance would cause a substantial hardship,” the narrative submitted to the board reads.

The application filed shows a “concept sketch” of a mixed-use building done by Modus Studio of Fayetteville, Arkansas, as well as a more detailed “concept rendering” and an accompanying “conceptual site plan” for use of some of the 7.69 acres on five parcels along Lannon Lane and Gould Way that, in 2014, were rezoned from limited business to village center business.

That rezoning, by Town Meeting, provides development potential compatible with the existing Atkins retail store on the perimeter roads created in 2013 during the double roundabout project connecting West Street and Bay and West Bay roads.

The narrative explains that Archipelago won the request for proposal issued by the college in 2021, which cited the development potential in proximity to the college and its cultural village that includes the Yiddish Book Center and the Carle Museum. At the time of this request for proposal, the college engaged a real estate broker, following delays in undertaking the project that included the COVID pandemic in 2020 and the college president’s announcement in 2019 that, due to financial woes, it would be seeking a partnership, rather than remaining an independent institution.

Archipelago has handled several projects in recent years, including mixed-use buildings in downtown such as Boltwood Place, Kendrick Place, One East Pleasant, 11 East Pleasant and 26 Spring, as well as the five-story Olympia Place student housing on Olympia Drive.

The justification for the variance, based on information provided to the Zoning Board of Appeals, includes a wetlands delineation completed two years ago by Ward Smith, senior professional wetlands scientist at Wendell Wetland Services. The application states that wetlands are extensive, the shape of the parcel is unique, and groundwater was determined to be high. Soil contamination with lead arsenic related to past orchard use was extensive, and topography and grade change across the site is significant.

Gould Way is west of the Atkins store and intersects with West Bay Road, while Lannon Lane is south of the store and intersects with West Street.

The roads were given their official designations in 2015 following votes by the Planning Board and Select Board, with the former taking its name from Harold Gould, a part-time owner and longtime employee of the store, and the latter named for Pauline Lannon, then president and owner.

Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.