Amherst Town Meeting rejects effort to take college’s property by eminent domain
“A former car dealership on Dickinson Street will continue to be owned by Amherst College after Town Meeting on Wednesday dismissed an article requesting that the town take the property by eminent domain and sell it to a private developer.
Also during the eighth session of annual Town Meeting, which dealt with four petition articles brought by long-time member Vincent O’Connor of Precinct 1, some members raised concerns about whether the college is doing enough to benefit the community.
The college purchased the property for $474,000 and is renovating it for use by its buildings and grounds department.
O’Connor’s idea was to borrow $750,000 to take the property and then find a buyer to keep it in on the town’s tax rolls.”
Merzbach, Scott. Gazette.com 22 May 2014.