AMHERST (WBEN) - The Town of Amherst has approved a $300 million agreement with Mensch Capital Partners, owner of the former Westwood Country Club, which is a significant development in a saga that has gone on nearly a decade.
In the deal, the town would pay slightly over $45,000 an acre for the 170-acre Westwood property, while Mensch Capital would pay Amherst roughly $220,000 an acre for 38 acres that includes part of the Audubon Golf Course.
This is all part of the plan to redevelop the former Westwood Country Club into an area that will be known as Amherst Central Park, which will be complete with sports fields, an indoor field house, as well as mixed use facilities.
Prior to Monday night's virtual Town Board meeting, the Amherst Republican Committee gathered outside Town Hall in protest of the process of reaching said agreement, and they even implored the Town Board to vote down the proposal. They say the main issue is a lack of transparency.
The group claims this will prevent open bidding and "give Mensch Capital the exclusive rights to any and all future development on the Westwood and Audubon properties."
"If there's not the courage to stand up to the developer, then at least table this until such time - as many public information sessions are held in-person in facilities large enough to handle the residents that want to attend," said Brian Rusk, chairman of the Amherst Republican Party. "The Town Board needs to address the concerns of the town and have their vote made publicly, in-person, face-to-face with the residents and not in a virtual, closed manner."
"There are holes a mile wide regarding the immediate and long-term costs to the taxpayers of the town," said Jay Dipasquale. "In its current form, the town will be on the hook for tens of millions of dollars for decades to come."
"What is shocking about this is that we're only being given basically a sketch, and we don't have any financial picture of how this will affect the taxpayers of the Town of Amherst going forward," added Ray Herman.
"This proposal, as sketchy as it is, should be delayed, voted down, or simply tabled," said Guy Marlette, former deputy supervisor for the Town of Amherst. "They need to take this vote in front of the people, face-to-face, and look in their eyes as they cast that vote."
