AMHERST — Plans for a mixed-use development on Hampshire College-owned land in the Atkins Corner village center are being revised due to uncertainty that the Conservation Commission will allow wetlands intrusions beyond what the town wetlands bylaw allows.
Though Archipelago Investments LLC has proposed constructing up to three, four-story buildings, with 140 units and 262 tenants, on 7.7 acres of land next to Atkins Farms Country Market, principal Kyle Wilson told the commission Wednesday that he intends to revise the plans to make sure the buildings won’t compromise a 50 to 100 foot wetlands buffer.
“We’re going to do our best to come back before you with hopefully a plan that the commission would be amenable to,” Wilson said.
Based on the likelihood that a majority of commission members wouldn’t support disturbance of more than 20% of the wetlands in the buffer, which would be necessary based on plans to remove a significant amount of lead and arsenic soil from the site, Wilson intends to recraft the plans.
Last month, Wilson told the commission he might only be able to construct two buildings, and would reduce the number of apartment units to avoid the wetlands.
Still, he suggested being allowed to encroach on wetlands because the site was previously altered as a commercial orchard, the water is dirty and the soil is contaminated by lead and arsenic, and invasive species dominate the landscape.
But based on the provisions of the 2022 revisions to the town’s wetland bylaw, Archipelago isn’t allowed to exceed the 20% rule unless the commission grants permission.
Commission member Bruce Stedman said he would not support making an exception to the 20% rule, and at a previous meeting member Alex Hoar indicated allowing variances would be problematic.
Commission Chairwoman Michelle Labbe said all sites in town, especially those in South Amherst, are previously altered. Labbe said it would be helpful to have a restoration ecologist weigh in on the site and determine whether it is severely degraded, as Wilson contends, or is simply a typical former orchard.
The only member who spoke in favor of granting an exception, with some modifications to the site, was Jason Dorney. Though he understands a former apple orchard is not a redevelopment site, the lead and arsenic should be cleaned up.
He said the variance from the rule could come because the wetlands exist largely due to a pipe dumping stormwater onto the property from an upland housing development.
Mark Stadnicki, a civil engineer with GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc. said not being able to do more work in the wetlands would limit the development potential.
Commission member Rachel Loeffler wondered if there is a bioremediation that could be used in place of soil removal in the 50 to 100 foot buffer.
Maria Kopicki of Country Corners Road told the commission the site should not be considered redevelopment because it’s not paved and impervious, and not a degraded area, and there would be “profound implications” if the commission agreed the site is degraded.
The Planning Board is scheduled to resume a hearing on the project on July 16, with the Conservation Commission to meet again with Archipelago on July 23.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.