Amherst, NY Zoning Overlays & Bonuses: Downtown Design Guide (2026)

The Design Advisory Board was created by Local Law No. 18-2019 and re-adopted in its entirety by Local Law No. 11-2022 (Amherst Code Section 5-1). It has five members appointed by the Town Board for five-year terms; at least one must already sit on the Planning Board and chairs the panel, and at least one must be a New York-licensed architect. Members serve without compensation and are capped at two consecutive full terms, with the Planning Director assigning both a clerk and a liaison from Planning Department staff.

Under Section 5-2, the Board reviews major site plan applications in the Town's mixed-use districts, plus minor site plans the Planning Director refers to it, measuring each against the "Design Guidelines For Mixed-Use Districts" before recommending action to the Planning Board. Section 5-5 sets the process: an applicant must hold a pre-application conference with the Planning Department before filing, then submit a formal application including a narrative addressing effects on neighborhood character and how the project enhances public space, plus checklist documentation. The Town must post the meeting agenda on its website at least five days ahead.

Within 10 days of the meeting's close, the Board must furnish written findings on Zoning Ordinance and guideline consistency to the Planning Board and the applicant, and may recommend conditions on any site plan approval. Section 5-6 requires every recommendation to be filed with the Building Department, the Planning Department and the Town Clerk's Office as public record. Section 5-7 limits which projects the standards reach to the eight listed mixed-use districts, plus any minor site plan the Planning Director designates; ordinary maintenance and repair, in-kind window and door replacement, and siding replacement affecting less than 25% of a building's exterior are exempt.