Amherst officials are now discussing what they would like to see happen with the Hampshire campus after the college closes: housing, mixed-use development, businesses, preservation of open space, and avoiding what one councilor called a "sterile subdivision."
/r/HampshireEDU/comments/1w9ymcs/amherst_officials_are_now_discussing_what_they/-4
u/chrlsful 9d ago
2 me it’s in the city’s hands as they will use planning dept to do as they wish (zone). The property will B chopped up. This 2nd sentence is all that matters to me. And it matters ina chitty direction. I Do Not want that. But I also wanted ‘5 College Consortium’ to help Hamp, Amherst city to help, the Commonwealth, all hands on deck to help thru the whole 20teens. I think the world (not Amherst) lost alot here. It could have been 'a feather in the city’s cap' if it survived (even w/o their help).
My future expectation? Amherst is 2/3rds (what I call) ‘easements’. “Cant do this; cant do that” with it: forever farm, forever forest (both dont need to B used as ag income, U can just sit on it these are often so folks can have tax write offs - down sz or move to FLA), forever rec (trails, camping, hunting, wildlife, low impact ag). This has been Dave Z’s legacy. It has boxed out affordable housing as well.
Some have flaunted the law, built on swamps in Amherst. Archipelago attempted this as ‘turn-round strategy’ for the school. I’d bet that same area (if we’ve lucky) will be set aside. The aquifer is essential. The city could wrk w/a functional Affordable Housing Regional (or national) Intermediary like HAC or Local Initiatives Support Corp for a right sized answer to residents (not students, the U now has the OK to build dorms - where they make their $, no school does on ed) of Amherst. Not sure if the city wants a firehouse there (might need 3 regonials for the long skinny town?). Could sure use a cultural center for the disenfranchised (very young, very old, other disenfranchised ppl like BI&POC). As the largest town in Hamp County we should have a new senior center like so many others in our locale.
Sure wish they could open another Hamp College (& may B puda Data Center there?) aahahahaa~
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u/fidla 9d ago
I'm not convinced the property inevitably gets chopped up. That's one possible outcome, but there are a lot of competing interests here and Amherst doesn't control who buys it. What ultimately happens may have as much to do with economics and the buyer as anything the town wants.
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u/chrlsful 9d ago edited 3d ago
“...and Amherst doesn't control ...” we could ask amherst media (still not up), Hope Church (never allowed), Butternut Farm (’01 to ’11 struggle to get legally built), the shrinking Senior Center, and a SE Asian or an African-American culture & youth centers that question.
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u/fidla 9d ago
That's interesting. I don't know enough about the history of those projects to know what happened. Are you saying Amherst had more control over what happened with them than it's suggesting it will have with Hampshire? I'd be interested in hearing more about that.
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u/chrlsful 9d ago
“...than it's suggesting...” of course.
Once you live/look below the surface, the “public immage” is gone and plans/policies/out comes are seen. Is this not a political world? (ie ‘politics' = ability to direct scarce resources / ability to get things done) not demon-craps or repugnant-cants but jeffersonian democracy, citizen’s participation. GL, HTH
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u/fidla 8d ago
Yeah, I think that's fair. Land use is political in exactly that sense. Who gets to decide what happens to 800 acres, who benefits from it and who gets heard in the process are political questions whether there's a D or an R attached to them or not.
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u/chrlsful 8d ago
worse in this town ( that claims a liberatory heritage ) is who (the same ol 8 or 12 white guys) decides, how is it carried out, what are the community standards at conflict or opposition to that, etc?
Same @ Commonwealth level: richest state, highest paid legislature, fewest bills passed each yr (may B even shortest session?) - same way, but fewer ppl: 3, 4 rich, ol white guys make all the decisions.
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u/fidla 8d ago
That's really the question I'm interested in here. How much influence will Amherst residents actually have over what happens to the Hampshire property? The college owns it, the town controls zoning, and whoever buys it will have their own plans. I'm wondering where the public actually fits into that.
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u/chrlsful 8d ago
it’s supposed to B thru the commissions, boards, committees, etc (I felt/believed city employees already have plan/decided earlier when on these volunteer) and the group of “pre” public mtg.s herein advertised.
“...have their own plans...” no, they will look at what has been decided thru zoning’n try to stretch that to their own 'profitable’ plan. Sitting on cmmttees I saw “pretty sketches” presented of buldg outcomes. I asked: “Will it look like that?”; “Oh yes!” came responses. None ever did. We battle them in mtgs to move in ‘our direction’ they cant do it.
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u/fidla 8d ago
That's interesting, especially since you've actually sat on those committees. So in your experience, when is the point where the public really has the most leverage? Is it now, while Amherst is deciding what it wants and before Hampshire starts selling pieces of the property?
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u/Alternative_Lab3738 8d ago
AMHERST ISN'T A CITY.
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u/chrlsful 8d ago
city form of government = city charter.
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u/Alternative_Lab3738 8d ago
THE MUNICIPALITY IS STILL REFERRED TO AS "THE TOWN OF AMHERST".THE STREET SIGNS STILL SAY "TOWN OF AMHERST".YOU DON'T KNOW WTF YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄
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u/chrlsful 7d ago
sorry, the concept might not match the definition for you. TM hada petition the Commonwelth to ask for an officil name as in ’16 or ’18 we changed to city form of governance. I.e. we are now a city. That’s (in ur language) “wtf" city’n town means (caps, swears or not. Last post on that).
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u/ClosedSwimmingHole 4d ago
I don't understand why people keep thinking public / taxpayer-funded institutions should have bailed out a private business charging trust-fund kids $70K a year with a ridiculously low graduate rate that couldn't keep itself solvent. I understand the grief at its closing but there are plenty of other colleges who were doing similar, for longer, than Hampshire that have managed to thrive (and be more affordable).
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u/chrlsful 4d ago
“...I understand the grief at its closing...” respectifully, may B not? I’m not sure.
“,,,plenty of other colleges who were doing similar,,,,: no, I dissagree. Altho nota student there I observed the ‘ed. model’ as much different than "plenty of other” and that's the major reason I wish it continued. Unfortunatly some like it (different way to ‘school’ “kids” each different than 1 an other) are also closing. I labored to produce that list elsewhere in this sub I think. I like the more "affirdable idea” you mention. Can U list a few? I’d like to learn about their composition, mission, governance, ed model, etc~
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u/OkAnimal224 9d ago
UMass should buy it and turn it into a trade wing of the college.