Planning commission approves Parkway Commons general plan for contractor warehouse campus

The Amherst Planning Commission voted 6–0 to approve a general development plan for Parkway Commons, a revised industrial proposal on Rice Industrial Parkway presented on behalf of Lawrence Neihardt.

James York, representing the applicant, said the three-phase project would be implemented from Core and Main westward across roughly seven acres. "Phase 1 would include a slightly over 10,000 square foot office warehouse building, and it's associated 11, units of 11 by 28 storage," York said, describing buildings sized at about 56 by 180 feet with a 17-foot plate and interior mezzanine and office space. York said the project would include lighting, camera monitoring, landscaping and a regional stormwater easement to tie into the existing basin.

York said he plans to seek a variance to allow a compacted-gravel surface in a rear outdoor parking/storage area to limit new impervious surface and reduce stormwater runoff compared with full paving; he said the team will return with revised traffic figures and engineering details. The planning staff confirmed this meeting was a general plan review and that full engineering submittals would be required in follow-up meetings. The mayor expressed support for the concept, calling it preferable to more mini-storage units and noting local demand for contractor workspace. The commission approved the general plan 6–0; applicants will return for detailed engineering and any required variance requests.