Amherst evaluates $3.1 million in proposals for affordable housing and parks

AMHERST — More than $800,000 in Community Preservation Act money could support development of affordable housing and provide financial support for low- and moderate-income individuals and families who rent their homes. The CPA Committee is beginning to evaluate 15 proposals that total almost $3.1 million in spending. Outside of $1.72 million in applications for five active recreation projects, including what would be the town’s first pickleball courts, the largest application is the $550,000 sought by the Amherst Municipal Affordable Housing Trust. That proposal, brought forward by Greg Richane, the town’s housing coordinator, would be used for assorted projects. The most significant is $400,000 that would go toward so-called “development equity” for supportive housing at 457 Main St., the former VFW site that is now used as a staging area for the Jones Library project.

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