AMHERST — Amherst’s Historical Commission has cleared the way for the demolition of three commercial buildings at the northern end of downtown.
During its meeting the commission, which reviewed plans to take down The Pub at 15 East Pleasant St., and the Piper and Summerlin buildings, at 9 and 11 East Pleasant St., determined that they were not historically significant, said Senior Planner Brandon Toponce.
The commission had to find that the architecture or people associated with the buildings were historically significant in order to initiate a demolition delay that could have lasted up to one year.
In addition to The Pub, the buildings house Amherst Nails, Kay Baker’s Antiques, Cousins Market and Eliana’s Barber Shop. In total, the buildings amount to 31,834 square feet on about three-quarters of an acre.
In the past, the commission has imposed yearlong delays that have, in certain cases, scuttled redevelopment plans. That happened last year when the commission determined the former Bertucci’s restaurant at 51 East Pleasant St., built in 1946 as an auto repair shop and later used as Rowe’s Chrysler-Plymouth dealership, was significant. In January 2016, a delay was imposed on demolishing the former home at 236 North Pleasant St. to make way for a new office building.
Following the clearance, the applicant, Summerlin Trust, will need to work through the municipal inspections department to obtain any permits for demolition, Toponce said.
No plans have been filed for any redevelopment of the site, though it is viewed as an attractive location for a new mixed-use building, sitting between the One East Pleasant and Kendrick Place projects.