October 14 will be a busy evening for the Zoning Board of Appeals and the Planning Board. Items of special importance to Ward 3 are marked in red:
THE ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS will hold a public hearing in Council Chambers, 212 Main Street, Northampton:
5:30 P.M. Special Permit request by Andrew Payne & Loretta Kane to convert a detached studio to a detached accessory dwelling @ 470 Bridge Rd, Florence, Map Id 17B-6.
5:30 P.M. Continuation of Teece.
5:45 P.M. Finding request by Three County Fair to demolish existing barns and replace them with 54,000 sf in three new barns, 100,000 sf for three covered riding rings at 54 Fair St, Northampton, Map Id 25-44; 25c-251, 254.
THE PLANNING BOARD will hold a public hearing in City Council Chambers, 212 Main Street, Northampton:
7:00 P.M. Special Permit & Site Plan request by Office of Planning and Development to create a two-family cluster lot and one flag lot with common driveway at 400 Burts Pit Rd, Florence, Map Ids 30c-43, 44, 60.
7:20 P.M. Special Permit request to convert a retail space to restaurant at 176 Pine St, Florence, Map Id 22b-41.
THE PLANNING BOARD will hold a joint public hearing with HISTORICAL COMMISSION and CENTRAL BUSINESS ARCHITECTURE COMMITTEE in City Council Chambers, 212 Main Street, Northampton:
7:30 P.M. Continuation (from Sept 23) of a hearing on the request by St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish for Site Plan Approval to construct a 14,000+- square foot building and parking lot over 75 spaces.
THE PLANNING BOARD will hold a public hearing in City Council Chambers, 212 Main Street, Northampton:
8:00 P.M. Site Plan Major Project request by Three County Fair to construct 54,000 sf in three new replacement barns, 100,000 sf for three covered riding rings with associated site development at 54 Fair St, Northampton, Map Id 25-44; 25c-251, 254.
ZRC Work Plan/Projects through May
Letter of support for HPPublish: Sept 30, and Oct 7, 2010
Here is the proposed new building for St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish. For high-resolution PDFs and other documents related to this proposal, go to the Office of Planning and Development online filing cabinet.
Here is the existing footprint of buildings on the lot followed by the proposed footprint:
The new building and parking lot would necessitate the removal of a number of mature trees, cover the lot with substantially more impervious surface, and bring the building edge much closer to abutting homes on Edwards Square.
See also:
Benefits of Shade Trees
Fully grown, properly placed trees can cut your home cooling costs by up to 40 percent.
Gazette: “Seton parish hits snag; boards delay decision” (9/27/10)
Several outstanding issues caused both boards to delay making a decision at a joint public hearing, said Carolyn Misch, senior land use planner for the city. The hearing continues Oct. 14.
The issues involved stormwater, too little landscaping and pedestrian and bicycle access, said Misch…
The new 14,000-square-foot parish hall will be similar to the one at St. John Cantius on Hawley Street, with enough space to seat 300-plus people for dinner and meeting rooms for 30 to 40 people. At 10,000 square feet, the existing building is too small to serve the consolidated Catholic community.
October 13: Meeting on Three County Fairgrounds Redevelopment Plans
All citizens are invited to attend a meeting to discuss the pending redevelopment plans for the Three County Fairgrounds on Wednesday, October 13 at 7:00pm. The meeting will take place at the Fairground’s office located on Fair Street. These plans will then be presented to the Planning Board on the following evening.
Download the Latest Three County Fairgrounds Stormwater Management Proposal (2/22/10)
Video: MEPA Visit to Three County Fairgrounds, 11/30/09
Video: Conservation Commission, 11/12/09: Three County Fairgrounds
The meeting included discussion of the impact of stormwater runoff on abutting properties, with comments by abutter and former Ward 3 City Councilor Maria Tymoczko.
Three County Fairgrounds – Environmental Notification Form (PDF, 3.33MB)
Three County Fairgrounds – Existing Conditions (PDF, 1.96MB)
Three County Fairgrounds – Overall Site Plan (PDF, 2.50MB)
Video: Presentation of Three County Fairgrounds Master Plan (7/25/08)
EPA: Urban Heat Islands
Heat islands form as cities replace natural land cover with pavement, buildings, and other infrastructure.