Valley Advocate blogger Daryl LaFleur this week reports on NSNA's July 21 barbecue with a long article on Northampton Redoubt. Some excerpts:

More than sixty people attended the North Street Neighborhood Association Barbecue [Saturday], July 21 to learn about Douglas Kohl's 31-unit condominium project proposed for their area...

Situated close to a wetland area, the project calls for the creation of five detention ponds to handle the storm water run-off that will be created by adding asphalt and buildings to an area where impervious surfaces do not currently exist. The project proposes to eliminate part of a forest that supports Northampton's urban ecology. Comprised of three and four bedroom market rate units in the $300 thousand range, the development will add significant traffic to well traveled North Street, a narrow two lane road in poor condition lacking sidewalks along certain stretches and without any crosswalks or lane markings.

According to the city's website North Street carries from 5,000 to 10,000 vehicles daily. At eight vehicle trips estimated per vehicle, if the sprawling single use subdivision averages two vehicles per unit, about 500 new vehicles trips per day will be added to an already congested street. This doesn't account for service vehicles and visitors...

There was much enthusiasm on display at the barbecue, tempered by concern for the future of the neighborhood. Some questions raised to ponder:

• How much development is not over-burdensome for the existing neighborhood?...
• Will the city hear concerns and agree with them?
• Why does city leadership value open spaces in the outlying areas of the city more highly than open spaces near downtown that add to the quality of life of residents?...

See also:

Kohl's Condo Proposal: Where Things Stand and What You Can Do
Surrounded by developed areas on all sides, our forest is one of the few substantial stands of trees in downtown Northampton. A distinctive and beautiful feature of our neighborhood, the forest cools the air, buffers sound from I-91 and King Street, smells great, absorbs water, and provides a habitat for deer and small animals of all kinds.



Parks moderate urban temperatures (source: EPA)

A wetland centered on Millyard Brook runs through the heart of the forest. The buffer area around a wetland is important in itself, an edge zone of high species diversity that helps regulate water flows into the wetland. These areas are fragile, can take a long time to establish, and are easily disturbed by development. The consequences of development around wetlands are often increased flooding in wet periods and more severe dryness during droughts.

Urban 'infill' development is laudable when it reclaims parking lots, brownfields and decayed structures. However, Kohl's proposal will impact substantial amounts of natural green space, in conflict with the ecological goals of Northampton's Sustainability Plan...



The urban forest behind North Street is already surrounded by development



The crucial large lots slated for condos are 25C-012 and 25C-017. The plan calls for adding pavement to View Avenue and the "paper street" between View and Northern to provide access for the condo residents. 66 parking spaces are planned. For more detail, download the PDF of Map 25C



The proposed condos will encroach close to wetlands. Note the planned artificial "detention pools" to manage the substantial water flows in this area. These are inferior substitutes for naturally-evolved forests and wetlands

Attend the Ordinance Committee meeting on July 24, 6:00pm at 212 Main Street in City Council Chambers. This meeting will discuss changes to Northampton's wetlands regulations

The Association is concerned that the buffer zone around wetlands for many areas of Northampton will shrink from 100 feet to as little as 10 feet, even as ordinance language now being considered (PDF) by city officials states:

Problems with nutrient runoff, erosion, siltation, loss of groundwater recharge, poor water quality, vegetation change and harm to wildlife habitat are greatly exacerbated by activities within 100 feet of wetlands. These impacts may happen either immediately, or over time, as a consequence of construction, or as a consequence of daily operation.

We urge you to ask officials at this meeting to preserve 100-foot buffer zones for wetlands throughout the city unless extraordinary circumstances apply.

Attend the Tree Committee meeting on July 24, 6:30pm at 125 Locust Street and push for stronger protections for Northampton's trees

Even though Northampton has been designated as a "Tree City", a number of other communities in the state have stronger protections for their trees. We encourage you to ask the Tree Committee to promote local ordinances that will protect "significant trees". In Springfield, property owners must demonstrate to the city forester that they have good reasons to remove or cut back trees that are over 75 years old or more than 3 feet in diameter at chest height.

Express your opinions to your elected officials and the local media:

Contact Mayor Clare Higgins
City Hall Room 12, 210 Main Street, Northampton, MA 01060, 413-587-1249, mayor@northamptonma.gov

Contact your Northampton City Councilor
Ward 3: Marilyn Richards, City Hall Room 18, 210 Main Street, Northampton, MA 01060, 413-586-2519, jonmar2@comcast.net

Write a letter to the Daily Hampshire Gazette

Write a letter to The Republican

NSNA Circulates Northampton Trees & Wetlands Petition
The North Street Neighborhood Association is now circulating a Northampton Trees & Wetlands Petition (MS Word version, Rich Text File version). The text of the petition reads:

Northampton was designated a “Tree City” in 2005, in recognition for its commitment to community trees and forests. Nevertheless, large, cherished trees continue to be cut down without public review, sometimes in quantity. These trees benefit the city as a whole by cooling local temperatures, removing air pollutants, absorbing water, reducing erosion, buffering sound, providing habitats for animals, and looking beautiful. We would like Northampton’s city officials to consider adopting some of the tree protections that exist in other Massachusetts communities like Lexington and Springfield.

Northampton is also home to numerous wetlands, which further enhance the natural beauty of the city. Ordinance language now being considered by city officials states:

Problems with nutrient runoff, erosion, siltation, loss of groundwater recharge, poor water quality, vegetation change and harm to wildlife habitat are greatly exacerbated by activities within 100 feet of wetlands. These impacts may happen either immediately, or over time, as a consequence of construction, or as a consequence of daily operation.

Despite acknowledging the fragility and value of wetlands, the city is actively considering laws to permit new development to encroach as close as 10 feet to wetlands, especially in downtown districts.

We, the undersigned, urge Mayor Clare Higgins and the Northampton City Council to:

1) Pass an ordinance to protect “significant trees”
such that all “significant trees”, whether on public or private land, may not be cut down in whole or substantial part without permission from the Northampton Tree Committee or other appropriate official body. A significant tree is one which is 75 years old or older, or is 3 or more feet in diameter at chest height. The Tree Committee would take into account whether the tree is diseased, damaged, or poses a danger to people or property, and whether not taking action on the tree would impose a hardship on the property owner that exceeds the public’s interest in preserving the tree.

2) Revise Northampton’s wetlands protection ordinance to emphasize that new development should not occur within 100 feet of a wetland in any part of the city unless exceptional circumstances apply,
such as the property owner demonstrating to the city that their hardship in being restrained from development exceeds the public’s interest in protecting wetlands.

The proposed ordinances are intended to benefit the entire city. They express that downtown residents--human and animal--need and are entitled to green space just as residents in outlying areas. Please download, sign and mail the petition to North Street Neighborhood Association, 351 Pleasant Street, PMB 222, Northampton, MA 01060-3961.