Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy

December 18, 2014

Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy UMass Amherst 181 Presidents Drive Amherst MA 01003

Town Manager John Musante Town of Amherst 4 Boltwood Avenue Amherst MA 01002

Dear Chancellor Subbaswamy and Town Manager Musante,

The Town Gown Steering Committee has taken its charge from you seriously and we have worked to establish a practical framework for addressing housing and economic development opportunities for the University and the Town of Amherst.

This launches a vital collaborative planning effort to enhance the overall desirability and affordability of living and working in Amherst and seeks to better integrate the University within the community. It will do so by creating quality housing options for UMass undergraduates, graduate students, faculty and staff in ways that strengthen neighborhoods, reduce pressures on existing housing supply and enhance the vibrancy and diversity of our town. And it will do so by expanding the tax base through encouragement of entrepreneurial and research endeavors, and targeting commercial and cultural opportunities that bolster our local business sector.

The analysis conducted by U3 consultants provides a valuable starting point. Considerable work remains to fully assess the possibilities, practicalities and impacts of the opportunities they have identified. To that end, our committee is recommending:

 Creation of the University-Town of Amherst Collaborative (UTAC), a body to oversee and facilitate the joint work on these continued housing and economic development efforts; UTAC’s formal organizational structure, staffing, membership and strategic plan need to be determined.  Thorough exploration by such a body of the sites identified for potential mixed-use development (Massachusetts Avenue, the North Pleasant Street corridor, and University Drive) and potential housing development/redevelopment (Olympia Drive and North Village) to include consideration of number and type of housing/commercial units appropriate to each location, timeline, potential environmental and neighborhood impacts, and cost.

 Focused joint pursuit by the University and the Town of public-private partnerships for addressing potential development, to include both private investment on public property and public investment on private property, with a goal of having such development be subject to local taxation.

 Creating and filling an Economic Development Director position, with consideration given as to whether such a role is optimally part of Town government or a separate entity; additionally, considering the creation of an economic development committee.

 Creation of an “Anchor Strategy” by the University that embraces the Town of Amherst, contributes to the local innovation economy through its arts and culture plans and academic research spin-offs, incentivizes faculty and staff housing in town, and creates more opportunities for local restaurants.

Many perspectives have brought us to this point and continuing to seek out and include different perspectives will be critical for the success of this work going forward. In order to capture some of those perspectives, a minority of the committee members are submitting an accompanying evaluation of the U3 report, adding context for future discussions.

We have appreciated this opportunity to serve the University and the Town of Amherst at your invitations. If our group can be of further assistance in this effort, we are ready and willing to do so.

On behalf of the Town Gown Steering Committee,

David Ziomek Nancy Buffone Co-Chair, Town Gown Steering Committee Co-Chair, Town Gown Steering Committee Assistant Town Manager, Town of Amherst Executive Director, External Relations and University Events, UMass Amherst