Dover, Kohl & Partners is proud to announce that the Boulevard Central District Plan in Amherst, New York is the recent recipient of the 2022 Planning Award for Comprehensive Planning from the Western New York section of the American Planning Association. The award recognizes the project as contributing to the elevation and advancement of planning in the Western New York region and as a step to making communities stronger and more resilient. Congratulations to the Town of Amherst and for all those involved in the planning process -- it is an honor to be a partner in such an important transformation in the life of the town.

DK&P worked with the Town and community stakeholders in 2020 to create an Action Plan for the retrofit and redevelopment of the district. The area exhibits characteristics typical of suburban development found throughout New York and the United States. Commercial areas have been developed with primarily single-use office or retail uses, surrounded by surface parking lots. The Town of Amherst envisions the Boulevard Central District as a walkable, mixed-use, transit-oriented area, with its existing suburban commercial areas retrofitted incrementally over time; a Mixed Use Zoning Code was adopted to shape future development.

The DK&P team created plans and illustrations to test the code, demonstrating how the area can transform with a new network of streets and public spaces and future mixed-use development on key sites. An expanded street network framed by building frontages creates smaller, walkable blocks to provide interconnectivity among residents, businesses, and surrounding areas. Enhanced transit travels along tree-lined, multimodal, complete streets. Parks and community gathering areas are integrated into the overall pattern of development. The Action Plan identifies public and private action steps to realize this vision, and transform the once retail dominant space into a true mixed-use district, creating great addresses and vibrant center for all to enjoy.