Council votes to lift Deepwoods Drive housing restriction

Select Board · Meeting of October 19, 2026

AMHERST — The Amherst Town Council voted 13-0 to remove an 18-year-old affordable housing deed restriction on a Deepwoods Drive home after a yearlong sale process collapsed. Director of Planning and Economic Development Jeff Bagg told the council the process took more than 200 days to find an eligible buyer before an appraisal failed, and said "it was admittedly mishandled by town staff." Homeowner Heather Anderson and advocate Mary Ellen Shea described significant stress from the delay; Valley Community Development Corporation, the town's monitoring agent, supported removing the restriction. Bagg said three other properties remain under similar 2008-era restrictions and staff will research options for them.

The council also unanimously adopted the FEMA-approved Hazard Mitigation Plan 2026 update, amended the Bylaw Review Committee charge to add liaisons from the Finance Committee, Human Rights Commission and Energy and Climate Action Committee, and voted to apply for membership in Mayors for Peace. A tax classification hearing kept Amherst's single tax rate, with an average single-family tax bill estimated at $10,457.92. A listening session drew public comment on six potential charter changes, including a mayor-council system, with no votes taken.

In the full story:

• Public hearing: removal of affordable housing restriction at 49 Deepwoods Drive
• Public hearing: fiscal year 2027 tax classification
• Listening session: charter "beyond the charter" structural questions
• Hazard Mitigation Plan adoption
• Bylaw Review Committee charge amendment
• Mayors for Peace membership application
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 3,018 words

Source: the Select Board meeting of October 19, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.