Amherst coronavirus reopening plan involves outdoor restaurant seating, retail display
Town Manager Paul Bockelman’s plan to begin reopening the local economy involves relaxing zoning rules so restaurants can seat more people outdoors and shops can display goods outside. This would expand business uses of sidewalks, town rights-of-way and private property — and temporarily suspend the Planning Board’s function to regulate land use, putting this in the hands of town departments supervised by Bockelman instead.