The Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods group will bring recommendations to the town by March 1.
Amherst Town Hall
AMHERST — Town Meeting has adopted zoning changes at the meeting this month that will help address issues with problem student rentals.
As Town Manager John P. Musante said, “they’re positive steps. Positive steps forward.” The town has many more steps to take.
"Town meeting had a robust, healthy discussion of different strategies the town can employ," he said. "There's much more work to be done."
Both the Planning Board and the Coalition of Amherst Neighborhoods brought bylaw proposals to the meeting.
On Wednesday, the final meeting of the fall, voters adopted a measure that to strengthen the town’s nuisance bylaw by requiring rental housing managers or management organizations to pay for police response costs if there is a third violation at the same house within one year. Currently the bylaw states that response costs may be requested.
It also names managers and management companies as responsible agents with property owners.
Voters also adopted a bylaw that requires owner-occupancy or a resident manager in one of the units in any conversion from single-family to multifamily in a residential neighborhood, among the zoning changes.
Earlier the meeting adopted a bylaw that will require special permits to anyone renting out both units of a new duplex. An owner who occupies half of the duplex would need only site plan review. Among its conditions, the bylaw stipulates that the unit cannot be occupied by more than four unrelated people.
Town Meeting in recent years has adopted several bylaws aimed at rowdy student behavior – particularly parties involving University of Massachusetts students who live off campus. The bylaws have targeted nuisance houses, open containers and beer keg permits, with fines that have increased over time.
But the Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods Working Group has begun meeting this month and is looking at ways to preserve and enhance existing residential neighborhoods and also create, preserve and expand housing that is safe and healthy.
The group, comprised of the police and fire chiefs, building commissioner, health director, residents, property owners, students and officials from the University of Massachusetts, is looking at the existing but not necessarily enforced bylaws including one that prohibits more than four unrelated people from living to together.
Musante has asked the group to look at the impact and effectiveness of the existing bylaw and present a recommendation that it either be amended or retained by Feb. 1.
He has also asked the 15-member group led by W. David Ziomek, director of Conservation and Development, to look at rental registration, a bylaw that is currently on the books, special permit requirements and at developing a plan for proactive inspection of rental properties.
Musante has asked the group to provide complete recommendations by March 1, recommendations that could be brought to the Annual Town Meeting in the spring.
The group next meets Tuesday at 3 p.m. in Town Hall.