AMHERST — Sidewalks around the Town Common, where a new performance shell is expected to be built as soon as 2023, will be improved and made more accessible with a $250,000 state grant.
The town announced that it received the money from the state’s Department of Housing and Community Development Housing Choice Grant Program, which is part of Gov. Charlie Baker’s Community One Stop for Growth initiative.
Walkways will be built in and around the greenspace, providing better accessibility to events on the Town Common and at the Spring Street parking lot. The money was sought in partnership between the town’s Planning Department staff, the Department of Public Works and the Amherst Business Improvement District.
“With the Town Common already a hub of activity in Amherst and potentially becoming more popular with the addition of a performance shell funded by the BID, the new sidewalk will enhance access to this site and to surrounding areas,” Planner Ben Breger said in a statement.
Town engineers and planning staff plan will finalize the design of the walkway improvements over the winter, getting them ready to be built next summer.
Also expected to be under construction next year is a separate $1.8 million project to overhaul the North Common in front of Town Hall. Before that project commences, the Merry Maple tree will be removed, likely before Thanksgiving.
The Housing Choice Community Grant Program rewards cities and towns that have produced a substantial number of housing units in the last five years, as well as those that have adopted or established best practices that encourage housing production.
Housing and Community Development Undersecretary Jennifer Maddox issued a statement congratulating those who received the money, adding “we are thrilled to support a variety of excellent local projects across the commonwealth to promote new housing development, downtown revitalization, and other important economic development efforts.”
