Board Continues Clean Energy Bylaw Hearing to August 5

Planning Board · Meeting of July 15, 2026

AMHERST — The Amherst Planning Board voted unanimously to continue its hearing on a clean energy zoning bylaw to August 5. Town counsel Carolyn Murray of KP Law told the board and the Town Council's Community Resources Committee that the draft's solar and battery storage provisions are sound but need reorganizing to separate them from the state's new "consolidated local permit" process, required under the 2024 Climate Act by October 1. The board also continued a site plan review for an affordable duplex at 174 Amity Street to July 29, voting 6-0 with member Bruce Coldham recused, after extending a construction-completion condition from two to three years to accommodate Habitat for Humanity's schedule.

The board separately re-elected Doug Marshall as chair, Jerah Smith as vice chair and Coldham as clerk for the coming year.

In the full story:

• Call to Order and Joint Session With CRC
• Public Hearing: Article 18, Clean Energy Infrastructure Bylaw
• Site Plan Review: Amherst Community Land Trust Duplex, 174 Amity Street
• Planning Board Reorganization and Committee Appointments
• Other Business
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 2,492 words

Source: the Planning Board meeting of July 15, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript. It was corrected where it differed.