A new blog, P. Mastrangelo’s Northamptonist, comments on infill and the Kohl Construction and Hilton Garden Inn controversies:
See also:
Northampton Redoubt: Urban Ecology, Planting Trees, and the Long-Term View
If we remove all of our in-town forested areas and wetlands they will likely be gone forever or at least a very long time. We would do well for posterity to err on the side of caution. For example the cost estimate to restore part of the downtown historic Mill River channel runs into the millions of dollars. Had the river’s diversion in the 1940s been handled differently, perhaps with a sharper eye towards the future, maybe today we wouldn’t be searching for dollars to make its restoration a reality.
Downstreet.net: “Despite Tree City USA Honor Northampton Planting Lags”
As a member of the Northampton Tree Committee, I, like other members of the committee, have been frustrated by our inability to advance the cause of shade trees in this community.
Each year, the city removes more dead or hazardous trees than it replaces, leaving a net decrease in the population of our mature shade trees…
…we have been working with the Planning Board and its staff to encourage better tree planting in new subdivisions with recommendations covering the protection of existing trees and rules and guidelines for replacement trees…
…developers, both residential and commercial, often regard landscaping and tree requirements as an unwarranted expense, not as a benefit to the quality of life to the city’s inhabitants…
…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 proposal is near the bus path and the bike path. It is close to town. It is also slated to displace an invaluable urban forest in Northampton.
See also:
Northampton Redoubt: Urban Ecology, Planting Trees, and the Long-Term View
If we remove all of our in-town forested areas and wetlands they will likely be gone forever or at least a very long time. We would do well for posterity to err on the side of caution. For example the cost estimate to restore part of the downtown historic Mill River channel runs into the millions of dollars. Had the river’s diversion in the 1940s been handled differently, perhaps with a sharper eye towards the future, maybe today we wouldn’t be searching for dollars to make its restoration a reality.
Downstreet.net: “Despite Tree City USA Honor Northampton Planting Lags”
As a member of the Northampton Tree Committee, I, like other members of the committee, have been frustrated by our inability to advance the cause of shade trees in this community.
Each year, the city removes more dead or hazardous trees than it replaces, leaving a net decrease in the population of our mature shade trees…
…we have been working with the Planning Board and its staff to encourage better tree planting in new subdivisions with recommendations covering the protection of existing trees and rules and guidelines for replacement trees…
…developers, both residential and commercial, often regard landscaping and tree requirements as an unwarranted expense, not as a benefit to the quality of life to the city’s inhabitants…