September 16, 2024 Town Board Work Session

Main Street Corridor Plan Draft Report

The Town of Amherst Planning Department announces that as of Wednesday, September 4, 2024, the draft report for the Main Street Corridor Planning Project has been released. Anyone wishing to view the plan should click on the image below or physical copies of the draft plan can be viewed at the Town of Amherst Planning Department (5583 Main Street, lower level, Williamsville, NY 14221). For additional information, please see this Press Release from September 4, 2024.

Main Street Corridor Planning – Public Comment Form

Project Background

The Town of Amherst is creating a Corridor Plan to address transportation/traffic circulation, parking, and pedestrian safety along Main Street and its immediate surrounding neighborhoods. The study area traverses both the Snyder and Eggertsville neighborhoods and is delimited on the east by the intersection of Kensington Avenue and the I-290/I-90 on and off ramps with Main Street, and continues west to Bailey Avenue, approximately 2.4 miles (See Study Corridor Map). Main Street is a major arterial roadway under the jurisdiction of the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT). It is one of the Town's main east/west corridors used as a primary commuter route for people living both east and west of the Village of Williamsville, for neighboring communities and for commerce from within and outside the region.

Project goals identified in the Charter adopted by the Town Board include:

1. Identify traffic calming measures along Main Street that could include lane widths, bump outs, on-street parking, different pavement materials, rumble strips, etc.
2. Determine feasibility to reduce the maximum speed limit of 40 mph, and the number of varying speed limits along Main Street
3. Evaluate turning lanes along corridor
4. Assessment of additional traffic amenities including signage, bike lanes, sidewalks, public transit (bus stops), etc.
5. Develop a strategy to decrease the amount of/consolidate signage along Main Street
6. Evaluate the environment along the Main Street corridor (beautification and streetscape design) and its relation to a walkable, pedestrian-friendly environment
7. Consider potential location/feasibility for municipal parking near centers

This section of Main Street is largely traditional in character as defined in the Town's Comprehensive Plan and features large homes with moderate setbacks interspersed with three small centers that feature civic and business uses with shallow setbacks close to the street. These nodes are identified in the Town's Comprehensive Plan as "mixed-use centers" and designated for implementation of the Town's mixed-use zoning. This project shall result in a plan with strategies and recommendations to improve street design, specifically addressing safety, multimodal movement and the relationship between Main Street and the surrounding neighborhoods along the corridor.

Public Meetings

In follow up to initial project meetings in January, the Amherst Main Street Corridor Plan team will be hosting a Virtual Community Update on Thursday, March 14th from 6:30pm – 7:30pm. Hosted by planning team members, Dover, Kohl & Partners and Creighton Manning, the presentation will provide an update on work completed to date, including a summary of community feedback and draft street design concepts and illustrations. The event is intended to not only provide the community with an update on the project’s progress thus far but to also provide an opportunity for feedback and questions to the planning team as they work towards a report for the Town’s consideration this Spring. Those interested in attending the virtual session must register via the link below. A reminder email with a link to attend the Zoom session will be sent one day prior to the event.

REGISTER HERE: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_GeWY9KWoSZu1yporFXolGw

For questions, feedback, or anything else regarding this project, please contact: Roberta Rappoccio, Town of Amherst, rrappoccio@amherst.ny.us or 716-631-7071

January 23, 2024
“Hands-on Design Workshop”
Daemen University – Yurtchuk Student Center – Social Room
6:30pm – 8:30pm
Amherst Main Street Hands on Session as Presented
Photos from Hands-on Design Workshop

January 24th and 25th, 2024
“Lunch & Learn”
Harlem Community Center Room #2
12 noon – 1pm

January 24th & 25th, 2024
“Open Studio Space”
Harlem Community Center Room #3
1pm – 2pm

Planning Process

Hands-On Design Workshop (January 23, 2024)
The Town of Amherst’s Main Street Corridor Plan kicked off with a community Hands-On Design Workshop on January 23, 2024, in the Yurtchuk Student Center on Daemen University’s campus. The event provided residents and other stakeholders an opportunity to learn more about the project, meet the planning team, and better understand some of the constraints and opportunities associated with Main Street while also learning more about best practices in street design. Attendees participated in small group conversations where they could voice ideas and concerns for the corridor as well as having the chance to “Build the Street Your Way,” an activity that encouraged groups to envision how they would redesign the street space between the curbs and within the full extent of the right-of-way. At the end of the event, one participant from each table presented their vision for Main Street.

Design Studio (January 24 - 26, 2024)
Following Tuesday evening’s event, the planning team set up a temporary design studio at the Harlem Community Center. Over the next couple of days, the planning team met with stakeholders and interested community members, to gather feedback and better understand their unique perspectives. In addition, the studio opened its doors from 12-2pm on January 24th and 25th for “Brown Bag Lunch Presentations” given by planning team representatives from Dover, Kohl & Partners, and Creighton Manning Engineering, respectively. These presentations focused on the topics of Placemaking, Street Design, and Livable Engineering, providing insight to the various considerations, analyses, and concepts that are explored as part of a project like this one. Following each presentation, an open forum allowed for conversation between community participants and the planning team.

Draft Report Presentation (September 16, 2024)
The consultants will conduct a presentation of the draft report to the Town Board at its September 16, 2024 work session at 4 pm. Anyone with comments should write to the Amherst Planning Department, 5583 Main Street, Williamsville, NY 14221; email to rrappoccio@amherst.ny.us; or use the Main Street Corridor Planning – Public Comment Form. The deadline to provide input is Friday, October 4, 2024.

Article & Media

• Amherst Bee
  • January 17, 2024 - Main Street corridor project launched
  • January 24, 2024 - Study looks to help shape Main Street

Contact

Amherst Planning Department
rrappoccio@amherst.ny.us