Amherst 2002 Buildout Home

The buildout exercise involves generation and analysis of large numbers of maps. Fundamental to the process is construction of an inventory of all land in the town that is constrained from development by environmental, regulatory or physical factors. These constraints are layered together and combined with zoning districts to determine the theoretical maximum allowable development of lots and dwelling units on remaining land. Following are some of the constituent maps used to establish the exclusionary areas.

COMPOSITE Maps

Developable and Absolutely Constrained (DevCon) Lands Composite

Composite showing all absolutely constrained (orange) and developable (blue) lands in Amherst. This file is derived by overlaying:

Open space in fee ownership / perpetual protection
Open water
River protection act buffers to 100’ from shoreline
Currently developed land
Selected land in institutional ownership
Moderate to severe slopes
Flood prone conservancy lands

Developable ONLY

Constrained ONLY

Partially Constrained Lands Composite

Composite of all partial constraints layers. The multipliers applied to these layers are itemized in the Amherst Buildout Worksheet.

ABSOLUTE CONSTRAINTS Maps

Absolute Constraint: Conservation Lands

Conservation lands parcels protected in perpetuity.

Absolute Constraint: Developed Lands and Recent Subdivisions

McConnell Landuse (1999) derived and parcel augmented itemization of built land in Amherst.

Absolute Constraint: Flood Prone Conservancy District

Areas prone to flooding. Exclusionary.

Absolute Constraint: Institutional Holdings

Property owned by the Amherst College, Hampshire College, and the University of Massachusetts.

Absolute Constraint: Open Water

Streams and ponds in Amherst.

Absolute Constraints: River Protection Act Buffers (to 100’ inland from shoreline)

Streams buffered to 100’.

Absolute Constraint: Miscellaneous Excluded Parcels

Various pieces of land selected as unbuildable by the Amherst Planning Department staff as of project scooping meeting of Friday, March 22. These include assorted public lands (schools, cemeteries, etc), landfill or former landfill areas, landlocked and inaccessible property, and otherwise restricted areas.

PARTIAL CONSTRAINTS Maps

Absolute Constraint: Aquifer Recharge Area

Partial Constraint: Watershed Protection Zone

Small area in the northeast corner of town. Map shows district within blue circle.

Partial Constraint: Farmland Conservation Overlay District

Farmland preservation district.

Partial Constraint: River Protection Act Buffers (100’ – 200’ inland)

Buffered streams and ponds outside of the absolutely constrained inner 100’

Partial Constraint: Wetlands

Wetlands

Partial/Absolute Constraint: Slopes

Slopes map derived Pioneer Valley / Town of Amherst data. Map shows mild, moderate and severe slopes. The former two categories are partial constraints; severe slopes are considered absolutely constrained in this analysis.

Aquifers (MassGIS)

MassGIS version of medium yield acquifers.

BUILD MULTIPLIER, ZONING and Other Maps

Multiplier: Infill Zones

Areas in Amherst deemed most suitable for densification or redevelopment of existing built land. This layer acts as a multiplier on land it encompasses. Land within these zones that is built up but not absolutely constrained by conservation or other factors, is considered to be buildable to an additional degree than already exists.

Multiplier: Planned Unit Development Overlay

ZONING

Official zoning districts for Amherst.

CENSUS: Percent of Housing Renter Occupied

US Census2000 Block Level data describing renter occupation as a percent of total housing units for each block

CENSUS: Percent of Housing Owner Occupied

US Census2000 Block Level data describing owner occupation as a percent of total housing units for each block

CENSUS: Median Age

Median age of total population (male and female) of census block.

FUTURE GROWTH SCENARIOS

CURRENT TRENDS Alternative

CURRENT TRENDS LOW GROWTH Alternative

TOWN CENTER Alternative

THREE VILLAGES Alternative

4-Villages and Constraints for dot markup of new buildings.

Adobe PDF format file showing building footprints, parcels, conservation lands and aquifer protection overlay for initial new building dot placement. Requires Adobe Acrobat for viewing. Follow link to download Adobe Acrobat

6-Village Scenario: Base

--------------------------