Business View Magazine - June 2016 113
aversion to sprawl. “We actually have purchased ei-
ther development rights to farmland, or outright pur-
chased a lot of the open land. That gives Amherst its
character,” he says. “It tries to funnel development
into those villages and the downtown. So, we’re not
building huge sewer lines through farm fields because
we don’t want the farm fields developed; we’re not
providing infrastructure to them, but the village cen-
ters all have full infrastructure, as does downtown,
and the universities.”
Regarding those infrastructure projects, Hechen-
bleikner recites the town’s latest list of ongoing devel-
opments: “We have full public sewer and water supply
throughout the community and we continually improve
and enhance those in a couple of different ways,” he
reports. “We’re putting in for approval at a town meet-
ing, this fall, for $2.1 million for water line improve-
ments – primarily replacement of water lines, rather
than extending water lines into new areas. We’re
asking for $3 million for new sewers in a developed,
residential area that does not have sewers and needs
them.”
“We are looking at a substantial investment from our
Community Preservation Act Fund for affordable hous-
AT A GLANCE
WHO:
Amherst, Massachusetts
WHAT:
A town of 37,000
WHERE:
West central Massachusetts
WEBSITE
:
