AMHERST — As Amherst concluded its final annual Town Meeting session Monday, members decisively resolved a lingering issue of how to encourage developers to include more affordable housing in their projects.
By a 156-19 vote, easily surpassing the two-thirds majority needed to change zoning, Town Meeting agreed to amend the so-called inclusionary bylaw to require a portion of large-scale developments be set aside for low- and moderate-income households.
The article was drafted by the Planning Board, which worked with several residents who have been pushing to increase the town’s affordable housing stock and reach a compromise on when issuing special permits would trigger a requirement to provide affordable units.
Jim Oldham of Precinct 5 said the article is a testament to how politics should work.
“It’s an excellent result we can deliver tonight on the last night of this annual Town Meeting,” Oldham said.
The other business Town Meeting handled included turning down rezoning land in the Cushman section of North Amherst to limit development, but voting to encourage the Select Board to place restrictions on the noise generated by firing ranges and calling on Amherst to be a leader in nuclear disarmament.
As the session ended, the seventh this spring, moderator Jim Pistrang thanked previous Town Meeting members and officials who have served in the town’s nearly 260-year history, receiving loud applause in the middle school auditorium before Select Board Chairman Doug Slaughter made the motion to dissolve annual Town Meeting. Members then presented a signed card to Pistrang to recognize his service since 2013.
Even with a town council election expected in November and councilors to be seated Dec. 3, it’s unclear if Town Meeting will meet again. The Select Board could call a special Town Meeting in the fall.
The inclusionary bylaw change will mean developers who seek a special permit to modify the dimensions that affect the overall size of a building will have to provide some housing for those earning 80 percent or less of area median income, or use alternate means of meeting this goal, including providing a payment in lieu that is three times the median income, or $198,000. The payment would go to the Amherst Affordable Housing Trust.
“We need as many ways as we can address this problem as we can conceive,” said John Hornik, chairman of the trust.
Gerry Weiss, of Precinct 8, who drafted a competing inclusionary bylaw, said the special permit trigger will mean affordable units being built in downtown or elsewhere.
“Amherst is so far allowing developers a way out,” Weiss said.
The bylaw change had some doubters.
“Let’s not do the compromise and let’s go the whole way,” said Paige Wilder of Precinct 10.
Lawrence Quigley of Precinct 1 said he worries that there will be segregation of affordable units if developers provide payment or build off-site units.
Prior to the meeting, Amherst Business Improvement District Executive Director Sarah la Cour said the change could stifle housing projects.
“The risk of having no development remains too great,” la Cour said.
Town Meeting voted 103-57 to refer an article to the Planning Board that would have limited development in North Amherst.
Planning Board Chairman Stephen Schreiber said the article needed more study and discussion because its impact wasn’t understood.
“It’s a significant part of Amherst that’s proposed to be rezoned,” Schreiber said.
Van Kaynor of Precinct 2 proposed the rezoning that would have meant all properties 425 feet in elevation and higher in the residential outlying district, and not connected to town sewer and water, would need to be at least 2 acres to build a home, rather than three-quarter-acre building lots.
Nolan Anaya of Precinct 2 said people who would be affected need to have more input on this change, but Janet Keller of Precinct 1 said the extreme vulnerability of the area to development should prompt immediate passage of the rezoning.
Planning Director Christine Brestrup said she was concerned that many properties on High Point Drive would immediately be nonconforming, meaning residents would need to obtain special permits to make changes to their properties.
Town Meeting called on the Select Board to assess problems created by noise from gunfire at the Norwottuck Fish and Game Association shooting range.
“I don’t think our town identifies with gunfire,” said Kenton Tharp of Precinct 1. “It’s not part of our Amherst nature, in my mind.”
Alice Swift of Precinct 8 said Applewood Apartments residents constantly hear the gunfire.
“This is a real problem and it’s constant and it’s loud,” said Rolf Karlstrom of Precinct 10.
David Casey of Country Corners Road said the noise is worse than ever. “It really has gotten unbearable,” Casey said.
The final action for Town Meeting came when it voted unanimously to join other cities and towns in calling for an end to nuclear weapons and making the United States a leader in eliminating these weapons stockpiles.
Lead petitioner Lynda Faye said even limited nuclear war would cause millions of immediate deaths before contributing to a global famine.
One former school building may become the site of affordable housing, while another will become vacant after this school year, based on action May 16 at the sixth session of annual Town Meeting, where tensions boiled over late in the night.
After extensive debate on whether the East Street School building should be transferred from the School Committee to the Select Board so the Amherst Municipal Affordable Housing Trust can explore redeveloping it, Town Meeting voted 145-27 in support, easily surpassing the two-thirds majority needed.
John Hornik, chairman of the trust, said the idea is to begin exploring whether the historic building can be used for at least 25 percent affordable housing for people earning a minimum 80 percent of the median area income.
Bonnie MacCracken of Precinct 6 said this would be similar to how Soldier On is restoring buildings in Chicopee and Agawam for veterans.
“I’m feeling very comfortable with this project,” MacCracken said. “We need to move forward on more affordable housing in town.”
“I support any kind of affordable housing,” said Gerry Weiss of Precinct 8.
But Mark Kosarick of Precinct 9 said he would prefer to see potential academic uses for the building, last used for overflow classes at Fort River School in the 1990s and an alternative high school program several years ago.
“I feel the building still has pedagogical potential,” Kosarick said.
An attempt to reconsider the elementary school budget to provide additional funding for preschool programming, including the possibility of having a preschool use the Summit Academy site on South East Street, was brought by Carol Gray of Precinct 7. Summit Academy will move to the high school this fall.
Her efforts went for nought when the vote was 106-76 against reconsidering.
Gray’s motion was opposed by the Finance Committee, whose chairwoman, Marylou Theilman, said Town Meeting shouldn’t try to add to the $23.23 million budget.
“We believe the proposal should come from the Amherst School Committee, not a Town Meeting member,” Theilman said.
Nicola Usher of Precinct 1 said she is disappointed by the loss of the preschool at the high school, but there would be unknown costs to continue a preschool program in an aging building that may need significant improvements.
Susan Tracy of Precinct 6 said with a town council form of government, Amherst has a transitional Town Meeting that should only be passing budgets.
“I find this reconsideration motion completely antithetical to that spirit,” Tracy said.
Yet others, like Dorothy Pam of Precinct 10, suggested preschool is essential for all children and more funding might be a good idea.
“Preschool is a necessary transition into life,” said Kenton Tharp of Precinct 1.
After Town Meeting passed new recreational marijuana regulations, limiting the locations where stores can operate in downtown, Town Meeting considered an article that would allow larger supplemental dwelling units, or in-law apartments. The Select Board made a motion to refer the proposal back to the Planning Board.
After a lengthy discussion over whether Town Meeting continues to have a role in zoning issues, tensions came to the forefront when Jerry Guidera of Precinct 9 made a quorum call to determine if enough members were still present at the middle school auditorium to continue business for the night.
Some members expressed concern to moderator Jim Pistrang that Guidera was not in the lower auditorium, where members sit, but instead was seated in the balcony where nonvoters observe proceedings.
After Guidera said a member had used foul language toward him, another Town Meeting member told Pistrang that someone made an obscene gesture at members from the balcony.
After pounding his gavel and asking Guidera to speak with him or leave the building, Pistrang chided Town Meeting members to act more like adults and offered advice that he said he normally gives to middle schoolers he coaches on the Ultimate team.
At the urging of a group of seventh-graders, Town Meeting unanimously adopted a resolution May 16 to stand by the Paris Climate Agreement of 2015, and to do so by encouraging town officials to reduce local greenhouse gas emissions by 26 to 28 percent below 2005 levels by 2025.
The resolution, which will also send letters to local, state and national leaders, was brought by a petition from nearly 30 seventh-graders at Amherst Regional Middle School, who began their research into climate change in a social studies unit.
Three students in what is known as Team Jaguar explained to Town Meeting the importance of adopting the resolution.
“Our town can inspire other communities,” said Rawan Elfawal.
“This is not a political issue, it’s a universal one,” said Tessa Kawall.
“We deserve a future with safe and health planet,” she added.
Cameron Gray-Lee explained steps that could be taken, including supporting a complete streets policy that would include bike lanes.
“Amherst should investigate switching existing buildings to clean energy,” Gray-Lee said.
Students who participated in the class, co-taught by social studies teacher Irene LaRoche and teaching intern Katerina Sherrick, are confident that this carries meaning.
“Even though Amherst is a small town, we can do a lot against horrific climate change,” said Anna Gilsdorf, 13.
The students viewed former Vice President Al Gore’s documentary “An Inconvenient Truth” and its sequel.
“Watching those movies let us see some places that are getting affected by climate change right now,” said Lucy Smith, 13.
Ariana Texidor, 12, said she and her classmates did extensive research over the past few months to prepare for the presentation.
LaRoche explained that students made phone calls to Town Meeting members, and sent emails to the moderator, attended precinct meetings and warrant review sessions and presented to the Select Board.
“They were incredible. They did all the work,” LaRoche said.
She also complimented Town Meeting members for being receptive to the students. “Townspeople have been really welcoming to their learning about the democratic process,” LaRoche said.
LaRoche said more of the information will be used for a presentation at a middle school assembly.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.