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Developer asks Amherst zoning board to allow data center reuse of Nordson campus
Summary
Cervenka Development Partners asked the Amherst Zoning Board of Appeals for a use variance to adaptively reuse three Nordson-era industrial buildings (about 240,000 sq ft total) as a high-reliability digital infrastructure facility. The applicant argued the campus—uildings are uniquely configured and that strict application of I-1 rules would prevent reasonable productive reuse; residents and counsel questioned whether the legal hardship standard was met.
Tom Cervenka, representing Cervenka Development Partners, told the Amherst Zoning Board of Appeals the application is a narrow land-use question and not a request to approve engineering or equipment. "By the end of this presentation, I hope you'll conclude that the evidence supports granting the requested variance," he said while laying out the four findings the ordinance requires.
Cervenka described the site as an integrated corporate campus of three buildings totaling about 240,000 square feet with shared parking, internal circulation and utility infrastructure. He said Building 100 is roughly 71,000 sq ft with about one-third office/R&D and a single loading dock; Building 200 is about 69,000 sq ft with bridge cranes and manufacturing utilities; Building 300 is about 100,000 sq ft and is ~80% office. Cervenka argued these permanent physical characteristics make the campus difficult to reposition for conventional industrial tenants and that a regional leasing analysis (Colliers) showed the buildings fall into an uncommon size category.
Cervenka repeatedly emphasized that granting a variance would not waive later city review: "Granting this variance does not eliminate the city's oversight," he said, noting equipment locations, noise mitigation and permitting would still be subject to engineering and planning review. He concluded by asking the board to approve the use variance to permit adaptive reuse and allow the normal engineering and permitting steps to follow.
