Hadley Planning Board Approves Four Signs and ANR Plan, Debates Over-55 Affordability Rule

HADLEY -- May 19, 2026, Hadley Planning Board approves four applications and debates whether its 15 percent affordable-housing requirement is blocking over-55 development. The board voted 5-0 on each of four items at its May 19 remote meeting: a Bank of America pylon sign replacement at 359 Russell Street, a 40-square-foot halo-lit wall sign for Pop-Up Bagels at 7 South Maple Street, an approval-not-required endorsement for the Chase Bank and Trader Joe's lots on South Maple Street, and replacement signage for Cinemark at 367 Russell Street conditioned on verification that the existing panel is internally illuminated. New Town Administrator Nathan Malloy, two weeks into the job, told the board that Amherst uses a tiered affordability threshold of 10 to 12 percent and routes payment-in-lieu funds through Valley CDC and Wayfinders to generate units that count fully toward the state's Subsidized Housing Inventory. Attorney Randy Reedy estimated the town stands to lose between $250,000 and $300,000 in annual property tax revenue if developers walk away from a proposed 34-unit over-55 project because the current 15 percent requirement produces a roughly $400,000 per-unit financial gap, building costs run to $600,000 while the AMI-formula sale price caps near $175,000. The board also reviewed a draft secondary dwelling unit bylaw allowing accessory structures up to 1,200 square feet by special permit on lots of at least 30,000 square feet, with unresolved questions about the owner-occupancy definition and basement habitable-space standards flagged for revision.