AMHERST — Improving pedestrian access and parking near Kendrick Park, the site of a downtown playground, and preparatory work on a housing development at the former VFW site on Main Street that will include space serving homeless individuals, are projects being recommended for Community Development Block Grant funding.

The CDBG Advisory Committee recently made recommendations for how to spend $850,000 the town is expected to receive, as a mini-entitlement community designated by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, with $552,500 to be reserved for non-social service projects and $170,000 divided among five social service agencies, and $127,500 set aside for grant administration.

A public hearing on the recommendations is scheduled for March 13 at 7 p.m. via Zoom. The idea is that the money supports housing, community development projects and social service activities that improve the lives of Amherst’s low- and moderate-income residents, defined as individuals or families whose annual income does not exceed 80% of the area median income.

While short of the $484,655 requested by Assistant Town Manager David Ziomek, the $287,000 for Kendrick Park will improve pedestrian access and parking near the playground. CDBG funding would also be used to replace a section of sidewalk along the east side of North Pleasant Street and construct a new sidewalk along the west side, with work to include new parking spaces, new street trees, street lights and a paved plaza and seating area in Kendrick Park.

For the 457 Main St. site where the VFW was located, $200,000 will go toward predevelopment expenses.

“The proposed planning activity will undertake key predevelopment and due diligence tasks related to construction of a combined shelter and supportive housing development,” reads the application, written by Ziomek.

Though only recommending $65,000, far less than the $525,000 sought by the Amherst Community Land Trust for redeveloping a property at 174 Amity St., CDBG Committee Chairwoman Bekcy Michaels described the idea as the most interesting, but also risky.

“It seems like such an incredible way for a community members to give back to the community,” Michaels said.

The application from Land Trust President Linda Slakey states that “The Amherst Community Land Trust proposes to develop a cluster of owner-occupied affordable homes in the town center, with four or five homes for families at or below 80% of area median income. Two or three of the homes will occupy the current two family historical structure, which will be renovated, and two will be constructed new.”

Social services requests

Meanwhile, the requests for social services totaled $428,580, meaning the committee could only divvy up about 40% of the funding.

The largest amount, at $78,256, will support the Amherst Survival Center’s food pantry, though is short of the $83,200 it requested, which is based on the $20.80 cost to serve 4,000 people two full weeks of groceries, available each month.

But the committee looked favorably on the Survival Center due to the extensive impact it has on the community and the reliable service it provides.

The other four recommended recipients were selected from nine applicants.

Family Outreach of Amherst will be awarded $37,483 for its community housing support program, helping low-income residents at risk of losing their homes. The organization had asked for $50,000.

Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Hampshire County, which asked for $35,000, would receive $30,013 for its partnership to provide mentoring to public school students identified by the schools’ Family Center.

The remaining $15,073 for Center for New Americans for self-sufficiency for those who are new immigrants to the country. Less than the $20,000 it asked for, but still important for the services provided and the enforcement.

“Obviously there’s so much impact in the immigrant community right now, with what’s happening at the federal level,” Michaels said.

The final $9,175 for the Amherst Mobile Food Market, providing access to fresh food at three locations in town. The mobile market had asked for $48,800. “It serves a great need in the community,” said CDBG Committee member Zoy Soulis, pointing out that Amherst is traditionally a food desert.

Passed over were requests from the Black Business Association of Amherst Area, which sought $75,000 to assist people toward economic self-sufficiency pathways; the Wildflower Alliance, which asked for $56,580 for the Amherst Mobile Community Respite Initiative; Amherst Community Connections, which requested $40,000 for Housing Stabilization of the Undocumented and Documented Immigrants Project; and The Literacy Project, which sought $20,000 for its Adult Education for Economic Self-Sufficiency.

The committee had concerns with some of these, either as first-time proposals, including how income levels would be verified, and whether mostly Amherst residents would benefit.

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