AMHERST — Town-owned land on Strong Street and at the former Hickory Ridge Golf Course on West Pomeroy Lane, along with the properties that include the vacant Veterans of Foreign War building on Main Street and empty South Amherst School on Middle Street, are being eyed for future housing for low- and moderate-income families and individuals.

These pipeline projects, as Assistant Town Manager David Ziomek refers to them, could happen over the course of the next 12 to 15 years.

“I think all of these have potential,” Ziomek said at a recent Amherst Affordable Housing Trust meeting.

Doing the work on examining the redevelopment potential of the properties, though, is a matter of priority and the finite staff and resources the town has, Ziomek said. Still, such work can set up the town for soliciting affordable housing developers.

“We need land to partner with folks like Valley CDC and Way Finders and Home City and others,” Ziomek said.

At the Strong Street sites, three lots totaling about 12 acres, wetlands work and title work is in progress. The aim at these sites has been to do a low-income, homeownership development under a program offered by MassHousing Finance. A dozen or more homes could be provided.

The problem is there is limited street frontage, a slope and wetlands, but Ziomek said it doesn’t cost money to eventually put out a request for proposals and test the waters

“It is not the easiest property to develop, and may not realize the number of units,” Ziomek said.

Town officials are also beginning to look at Hickory Ridge on West Pomeroy Lane, a complex 150-acre site. The town intends to remove the clubhouse building and has been focused on guiding the privately developed solar project, as well as possibly carving out room for a new fire station.

The former VFW site on Main Street may be the closest to moving forward. Community meetings are planned for this fall that would bring together Craig’s Doors: A Home Association, Inc. The apartments that could go up on the site would be aimed at veterans, and would also include a place for a permanent seasonal or year-round shelter.

Ziomek said the town will soon be bringing on an architect for conceptual designs showing what could be built.

“I think a lot of that work will be informed by what we come up within the visioning sessions," Ziomek said.

American Rescue Plan Act money is available for the demolition of the building, at an estimated cost between $75,000 and $150,000.

The South Amherst School, which has been vacant for several years, is at the early stages of being looked at for housing in the context of broader needs for the town, Ziomek said.

The town, he said, is in a unique position where many town-owned properties are available.

“Keeping these in play, we don't need to rule these out,” Ziomek said.

Funding through the Department of Housing and Community Development also is being sought.

While largely supportive of doing due diligence, trust member Aschleigh Jensen questioned whether this is an effective way to address the lack of affordable housing in town. 

“It does not seem to me that there's a real strategic plan for getting the most units for the lowest cost to help the most amount of people,” Jensen said.

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