Historic District Commission

The Historic District Commission currently consists of five members and five alternates, all of whom are appointed by the Board of Selectmen. In addition, there is one ex-officio voting member each from the Board of Selectmen and the Planning Board. The Commission meets the third Thursday of every month and is charged by ordinance with the responsibility of reviewing all applications for Certificates of Approval for exterior alterations to buildings and settings within the Historic District. Applications to be reviewed by the Commission are due in the Zoning Office at the close of business on the first Friday of each month. This allows the agenda to be posted here, as well as notification of abutters.

The second meetinghouse, now the Congregational Church

In early 1991, Historic District Commission “Regulations” (i.e., design guidelines) were completed, reviewed by town counsel, and placed in the Town Library along with reference material the Commission used in drawing up the Regulations. The reference material includes the Secretary of the Interior’s Standard’s for Rehabilitation – Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings. Copies of the Regulations are available in the Zoning Office. In addition, The Villagers, a local chapter of Questers, has evaluated the Town Library’s holdings of preservation and restoration books, created a list of additional books, and raised the funds to purchase and provide a well-rounded set of reference materials for the historic homeowner contemplating renovations. The Historic District Commission encourages all homeowners to avail themselves of these excellent resources.

Recently, in addition to the typical applications on fencing, windows, etc., the Commission has also reviewed applications on siding removal, tree removal, preservation of historic windows, and driveway materials. A particular challenge has been for the Commission to balance the desires of homeowners to expand their residences versus the goal of maintaining the historic character of the village.

Current members of the Amherst Historic District Commission are listed below. Click on the names to get individual contact information.

Board Member	Term Expires
Helen Rowe, Chairperson	2011
Rolf Biggers	2009
James Emmond	2010
Beth Davis, Vice-Chair	2011
Charles Duval	2009
Neil Brenner, Alt.	2009
Juli Harvey, Alt.	2011
Richard Kimball, Alt.	2010
Shannon Galinson, Alt	2011
Thomas Grella, Ex-Officio