Mayor: Conz Street Slated for Reconstruction This Year, North Street for Next Year

The website of Ward 3 City Councilor Angela Plassmann publishes an April 12 letter from Mayor Clare Higgins about plans to reconstruct Conz Street and North Street. Councilor Plassmann had conveyed her constituents’ concerns about the condition of North Street to the Mayor. The DPW will be using almost all of this year’s Chapter 90 allocation to […]

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Railroad Bridge Public Art – Get Your Opinion In

The Northampton Arts Council seeks your opinion on new art to replace the aging mural on the Route 9 railroad bridge: Railroad Bridge Public Art Update A gateway into the City will be the site of a new piece of public art to welcome people to Northampton. In recent years, Bob Reckman, Ward 3 City Councilor […]

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Video: Councilor Plassmann Presses Conservation Commission on Disposal of Manure from Three County Fairgrounds

Northampton’s Conservation Commission held a long hearing on April 1 to discuss the redevelopment plans at the Three County Fairgrounds (see plans at Office of Planning and Development website). We’ll make a complete video of this hearing available within a few days at our blip.tv channel. In the meantime, here is a short YouTube excerpt where Ward […]

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Springfield Republican: “Northeast seeing more, fiercer rainstorms in line with global warming predictions, study says”

In 2007, the Northampton City Council approved a new Wetlands Ordinance that, in the name of infill, encourages developers to encroach closer to wetlands in many in-town locations. Climate-wise, this move is badly timed, as the frequency and severity of “precipitation events” in Massachusetts is on the rise. The April 5 Republican reports: The Northeast is seeing more […]

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Zoning Revisions Committee Releases Synthesis of Comments from March 17 Forum

Northampton’s Zoning Revisions Committee has released a synthsis of comments from its public forum on March 17. Download the full-size PDF. See the slides from the forum. See the video. The committee will next meet on April 7, 7-9pm in City Hall Room 10 (second floor, enter via the back door). See also: Video and Slides: Joel Russell […]

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Video: Rezoning Northampton for a Sustainable Future – March 17 Public Forum

Here is a blip.tv video from the March 17 public forum organized by the Zoning Revisions Committee. This video is 1 hour 7 minutes long and was recorded by Lachlan Ziegler. Download a PDF of the slides from the presentation. The Zoning Revisions Committee will discuss the results of the forum at its March 31 public meeting, […]

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Northampton Media: Planning Board Splits 3-3 on Prohibiting Landfills from Water Supply Protection Districts

Northampton Media reports on the Planning Board’s March 25 joint public hearing with the City Council’s Ordinance Committee. The hearing considered a citizen petition to prohibit landfills from Northampton’s Water Supply Protection Districts. The Planning Board split 3-3 on whether to forward the petition to the City Council with a positive recommendation. We’ll provide a […]

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Toxics Action Center Issues Press Release in Conjunction with Water Not Waste

Toxics Action Center issued this press release today in conjunction with Water Not Waste (Download full-size PDF): See also:Toxics in Massachusetts: A Town-by-Town Profile (PDF)Toxics in Massachusetts: Map (PDF)March 25: Ordinance to Ban Landfills from Water Supply Protection Districts Goes Before Planning Board and City Council Ordinance CommitteeBessette on Latest Landfill Twist; Koff’s Analysis of Landfill […]

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Bessette on Latest Landfill Twist; Koff’s Analysis of Landfill Zoning Contrasts with Bobrowski’s

3/25/10 update:We received this feedback: The [Zoning Board of Appeals] disagreed with Mr. Koff and found that the landfill was grandfathered. This decision was appealed and then the appeal was settled. As a result, the ZBA decision stands.Attorney Jendi Reiter responds, No legal precedent can be created by a case that is settled before the […]

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