The August 30 Valley Advocate publishes “Heartsick Over Noho”, a letter to the editor from Ann Foley of Berkeley, California: I’m heartsick over all the bad planning that’s been going on in Northampton. On my recent two-week visit, I noticed many changes to Northampton from just a year ago! Green Street is a silent, gaping […]
Month: August 2007
Wayland Wetlands Protection: Work within the 100-Foot Buffer Zone Triggers Permit Requirement
The Code of the Town of Wayland, MA (Chapter 194) calls for permits before work can be done within a 100-foot buffer zone around swamps, vernal pools, streams, and other specified resource areas. We have emphasized certain passages with bold type. The purpose of this chapter is to provide a greater degree of protection of […]
Topographical Map Shows How Kohl Condo Proposal Will Eat Into a Rare Stand of Mature Trees in Downtown
We have enlisted OLIVER, The MassGIS Online Data Viewer, to show just how rare and precious the woods behind North Street are in downtown Northampton. These woods are part of Kohl Construction’s proposed 5.49 acre condo site. The plan calls for 31 units and 66 parking spaces, plus access roads [update: the latest version of the plans calls for […]
Barnstable Wetland Ordinance: “An undisturbed buffer zone 50 ft. in width shall be provided”
Barnstable is another Massachusetts community that emphasizes the importance of a 50-foot undisturbed zone around wetlands. Its regulations (PDF) state: …An undisturbed buffer zone 50 ft. in width shall be provided between wetland resource areas and the limit of site disturbance. It is recommended that proposed structures within the buffer zone be located no closer […]
The Ward 3 Neighborhood Association Invites You to a Social, September 9
It is our pleasure to pass along these announcements from the Ward 3 Neighborhood Association. GREETINGS FROM THE WARD 3 NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONwww.wardthree.com“GOOD THINGS COME IN THREES”WE HOPE YOU CAN JOIN US FOR ALL OF THEMAn Old Fashioned Neighborhood SocialJust plain having fun and meeting each other Sunday, September 9th 1:00pm-4:00pm (rain date: September 16) Montview […]
Gazette: Erosion Near New Southampton Subdivision: Detention Basin Under Scrutiny
Monday’s Gazette reports on erosion near a new subdivision in Southampton. There may be lessons with respect to the use of detention basins to manage stormwater. From “Southampton riverbank erosion under scrutiny”: Conservation officials here are still trying to determine whether a spring ‘blowout’ that dislodged thousands of pounds of sand from a wooded slope […]
LA Times: “U.S. home prices declining at their fastest pace in two decades”
It’s not the best time to be a seller of homes, reports today’s Los Angeles Times: A much-watched report Tuesday showed U.S. home prices declining at their fastest pace in two decades, signaling that the nation’s housing slump was worsening during what is normally the best time of year for residential real estate.Home prices dropped […]
Northamptonist: A New Blog Joins the Fray
A new blog, P. Mastrangelo’s Northamptonist, comments on infill and the Kohl Construction and Hilton Garden Inn controversies: …There’s a reason people leave the great cities in Europe, Latin America, and elsewhere, feeling inspired about life. Northamptonist wants people who live in and visit Northampton to be able to replicate those same feelings.The Kohl Development […]
Springfield Wetland Regulations: “A minimum of a fifty (50) foot undisturbed buffer”
As with protection for significant trees, once again our friends in Springfield are outpacing Northampton when it comes to environmental protection. Here are excerpts from Springfield’s Wetland Protection Regulations currently in force. We have emphasized selected passages with bold type.Contrast Springfield’s regulations with the ones that will come before Northampton’s City Council on September 6. […]
Bloomberg: Existing Home Sales At Slowest Pace in Five Years
The deterioration in the national housing market continues, as reported today by Bloomberg: Sales of previously owned homes in the U.S. fell in July for a fifth consecutive month, adding to the inventory of unsold properties and showing the housing slump that triggered a collapse in credit markets will drag on……slowest pace since November 2002. […]