Daryl LaFleur’s Northampton Redoubt discusses how Kohl Construction’s proposed condo project off North Street has spurred a larger debate over what Smart Growth means and how to implement it…
It’s great to read everyone’s posts on the Paradise City Forum listserv regarding the North Street Condominium proposal and Smart Growth…
…the Kohl development on North Street will probably not closely mimic dense older urban neighborhoods in any country, and it will cost us part of an urban forest as well. Look at the schematic below and tell me that this proposed development is the best that can be done with regards to Smart Growth. It appears to me as a tightly clustered residential sprawl-development moved into town with basically a token nod toward Smart Growth principles, that is it’s close to town and it’s clustered…
…I have not been able to find definitions of infill that include removing viable greenfields, though they may exist. Generally infill seems to concern redeveloping previously developed areas, vacant lots, or brownfields and rehabilitating historic buildings. Thus obscured from the recent debate has been the importance of maintaining Northampton’s Urban Ecology, which enhances the quality of life of intown dwellers, human or otherwise…
…the Kohl North Street area development proposal includes row house condominiums set to the rear of parking lots, not free standing detached single family homes that front the “street,” which would better match the existing neighborhood and is also a tenet of Smart Growth. According to Doug, Northampton zoning regulations require him to develop in such a fashion…
Above-Douglas Kohl has proposed eliminating units 27-23 and one of the three units shown in the upper left hand corner of the above schematic. Units 28-31 will be shifted further to the east reducing the size of the parking lot, and one unit will likely be added to the south end of the 18-22 bank of units. The total number likely to be proposed is now 26 units. The detention ponds as shown will also be altered, with the elimination of the rectangular pond show about center in the graphic, and the alteration of the three lower ponds as well, due to the relocation of the units…
See also:
Northampton Redoubt: Doug Kohl reduces footprint of subdivision proposal due to the discovery of vernal pools in the North Street area wetlands
Doug concedes that there are likely at least two previously unmarked vernal pools on the site that are located in the wetlands area as pictured far below. As a consequence of this discovery he suggested that the total number of units proposed would be reduced from 31 to 27. Another housing unit has been deleted on Northern Avenue as a proposed triplex will become a duplex reducing further the total number of units to 26…
Daryl LaFleur: North Street Area and Urban Ecology
Constructing homes in the downtown area near existing services, infrastructure and public transit makes sense. However, the Urban Land Institute’s report on Springfield [PDF] suggests removing decaying buildings and creating more green spaces in Springfield’s downtown area as a way to enhance that city’s quality of life and lure people back to downtown. Springfield would like to create, on a larger scale, what Northampton currently has and one need only walk around downtown Springfield and observe the lack of urban green patches to understand why. Similarly, despite all of its problems, the Big Dig in Boston aims to add parkland and green recreational areas in an urban environment for the same reason, to improve the quality of life for inhabitants and give business owners a reason to stay put.
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.
Northampton Redoubt: “North Street area citizens join together”
There was much enthusiasm on display at the barbecue, tempered by concern for the future of the neighborhood. Some questions raised to ponder:
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?…