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Date: 3/22/2022
AMHERST – The town of Amherst recently announced it had finalized the purchase of the Hickory Ridge Golf Course property after a multi-year process to acquire the land.
The 150-acre parcel of land on West Pomeroy Lane in South Amherst will serve as a blank canvas for a multitude of possible projects, from hiking paths to potential affordable housing.
According to the town, the land was purchased for $520,000 in what they called a “bargain sale” that was negotiated with the owner, Fort River Solar 2, LLC. The property was originally appraised at slightly more than $5 million.
“These 150 acres with over a mile of frontage on the Fort River provide a unique opportunity for the Town. Securing this very special land will reap benefits for generations to come,” said Town Manager Paul Bockelman in a press release.
Bockelman’s statement went on to credit Assistant Town Manager David Ziomek and his team for bringing the complicated transaction across the finish line.
Ziomek said bringing the deal together was a challenge due to the many moving pieces involved. Seller Fort River Solar 2, the Amherst-based LLC owned by local South Amherst resident Barry Roberts, will retain the option of leasing 26 acres of parcel from the Town for 20 years as part of the installation of a solar array that will produce 6.44 megawatts of electricity annually. The solar array will include a 3,500-kilowatt battery storage system.
“It really was just about putting the deal and putting the package together. The funding package we had Community Preservation Action and other town dollars as well as some grant money in there,” said Ziomek on the deal. “In the end, a local partner named Barry Roberts came to the table and really stepped in to be that bridge between Applied Golf and the town. The efforts of Barry and his attorney, that’s what really brought it home.”
Roberts said the town and area was very special to him, and he was pleased to be able to make such an important contribution in making the town better.
“I was born, raised and have lived my entire life in South Amherst,” said Roberts as part of the town’s announcement. “We see this as a win-win, and I credit the town staff for their diligence and attention to every detail.”
Applied Golf Inc., a New Jersey based company, previously owned the Hickory Ridge Golf Course before selling the property to Fort River Solar 2, LLC. This was when plans for the solar installation began.
Amp Energy has plans to acquire Fort River Solar 2 and will construct, maintain and operate the solar facility under the Fort River Solar 2 name, according to Amherst Town Attorney Tom Reidy. Fort River Solar 2 and the town of Amherst have already agreed to a deal with Springfield to sell the energy produced on the property directly to Springfield.
Ziomek says one question they’ve faced already is why the town of Amherst is not participating as an off taker of this solar project when they originally were. Ziomek said due to the size of the project, Amp energy informed the town it would be much simpler if all the power went to one entity.
“In Amherst, we’re bringing online our own new solar field out at the old land fill on Belchertown Road so we actually couldn’t take 6.4 megawatts of green energy off this project so Amp energy turned to Springfield and they said, ‘Yeah we could be an off taker, we want to do the right thing here,’ and kudos to that,” Ziomek said.
Amherst will receive an annual payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) for the solar project of around $50,000 to $65,000 a year from Amp Energy. The PILOT payments compensate the government for some of the property tax revenue lost due to tax exempt ownership. The incentive pay will add a boost to Amherst funds of over $1 million over 20 years and with the input of solar energy, will be a standard in environmentally friendly energy.
Ziomek said that while Amherst would not directly receive the energy generated on the Hickory Ridge property, they would be retaining the open space and will be addressing many priorities for the town.
“It will increase the amount of solar power generated in the region; protect the riverfront and important habitat for common and rare species; make over 100 acres of open space available to the public including miles of cart paths and walking trails; offer land for potential future development to meet community needs; and provide a safe pedestrian connection for residents on East Hadley Road to access the newly created open space and the Pomeroy Village Center shopping district,” Ziomek laid out in the press release.
While the town of Amherst has taken community input into possibilities for the acquired land, the completion of sale will now allow the town to move into a master plan phase for the property. This master plan will focus on creating a vision for the site and how it will be programmed, managed and funded for the foreseeable future.
“We are going to look at other creative options for the frontage of the property. There might be affordable housing there, might be an amphitheater. There could be a senior cetner there, who knows. Our master planning process will tell us more about that,” Ziomek said.
The town has already begun to solicit resident input and involvement through online and in-person surveys and forums. The town began seeking community input and public planning process through a series of events called ‘Discover Hickory Ridge’ which saw over 200 residents attend. The opportunity provided those who came to learn more about and explore the soon-to-be public land and to offer ideas, visions and suggestions for how the land should be used and managed.
Ziomek said that as they begin the master planning process it will most likely take the rest of the year, but they already have secured some funding to repair and expand a trail system through the property that will also connected the different neighborhoods surrounding the land.
Ziomek added the town has already secured $180,000 in Community Development Block Grant funding and have requested $150,000 from the Community Preservation Act Committee for trails.
“If our sources come together we’ve got close to $400,000 to put into trail work which will really create the framework and the spine if you will, of trails, to connect the neighborhoods that surround the course,” Ziomek said. “We feel like we’re off to a good start with that. It’ll be more like a conservation area and park all in one.”
Outreach is also happening online at engageamherst.org/hickory where residents are invited to share ideas and suggestions for the property. To date, over 285 ideas and comments have been contributed to the Engage Amherst page about future land uses and ideas for Hickory Ridge. Popular suggestions to thus far have been walking trails, affordable housing developments, mountain biking trails, disk golf and a theater and entertainment space.