Page 9 - BusinessWest May 1, 2023

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT >>
Renewed Energy Makes Amherst Busy Again
BY MARK MORRIS
By all indications, from bustling sidewalks to traffic con- gestion, Amherst is most definitely back.
As the home of UMass Amherst, Hampshire Col-
lege, and Amherst College, the town had always benefited from the presence of all those students, faculty, staff, and visitors, both economically and with the energy they brought. When the pandemic hit, all those constituencies at all three campuses left town while people everywhere dealt with COVID-19.
“When the colleges came back and started to re-engage with the community, it really set the tone for everyone else. The outpouring of students returning to downtown was huge.”
Slowly but surely, the students returned as everyone learned how to work their way through the pandemic. Now, after persevering through a few very difficult years, there’s new energy and excitement in and about Amherst.
“When the colleges came back and started to re-engage with the community, it really set the tone for everyone else,” said Claudia Pazmany, executive director of the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce. “The outpouring of students returning to downtown was huge.”
Currently, downtown Amherst enjoys a 4% vacancy
rate for its commercial properties. Gabrielle Gould, execu- tive director of the Amherst Business Improvement Dis- trict (BID), said seven new restaurants have either recently opened or will do so by the end of the year, including a new White Lion brewery.
“A staple of a successful downtown center is a brewery,” Gould said. “It’s something we’ve been trying to get for sev- eral years.”
Gould and the BID played an important role in establish- ing the Drake, an arts and entertainment venue downtown. Averaging 200 guests a night with four shows a week, the Drake is achieving the BID’s goal of bringing people, vibran- cy, and a tricke-down effect to downtown.
While the return of the students is worth celebrat- ing, older adults have also become essential in Amherst’s comeback.
“At the Drake, the average age of our audience is in
the 40s, and 70% of them live outside Amherst,” Gould
said, adding that audience polling shows they are eating at Amherst restaurants and going out for drinks after attending performances at the club. “It’s making our downtown desti- nation-worthy, and as a result, we’re bringing in bigger bands and touring groups.”
Gould also credits Amherst’s revival to building owners downtown and in the Mill District who have helped entrepre- neurs enter the restau-
rant or retail business,
or open ventures them- Amherst
selves, rather than let Continued on page 11
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<< COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT >>
MAY 1, 2023 9
Amherst
at a glance
Year Incorporated: 1759
Population: 39,263
Area: 27.7 square miles
County: Hampshire
Residential Tax Rate: $20.10
Commercial Tax Rate: $20.10
Median Household Income: $48,059
Median Family Income: $96,005
Type of Government: Town Council, Town Manager
Largest Employers: UMass Amherst; Amherst College; Hampshire College
* Latest information available