The now 20-unit Kohl Construction condo proposal goes back before Northampton’s Conservation Commission on September 10, 5:30pm in the City Hall Hearing Room, 210 Main Street, 2nd floor (enter via the back door). Concerned citizens are urged to attend. Here is the commission’s agenda followed by Land Use and Conservation Planner Bruce Young’s staff report. Northampton […]
Infill
Zoning Revisions Committee Urban Agricultural Meeting Rescheduled to September 14
The Zoning Revisions Committee announces this schedule change: Due to a scheduling SNAFU we will be re-scheduling the ZRC Urban Agricultural Meeting to Monday, September 14 at 7 PM in Hearing Room 18 at Northampton City Hall.The change has us meeting a day earlier.The preliminary election being held on the 15th made this change necessary. […]
Video: Zoning Revisions Committee Meeting of 9/2/09; Presentation on Traditional Urban Design Infill
Here is a blip.tv video of the 9/2/09 meeting of Northampton’s Zoning Revisions Committee. This video is 1 hour 43 minutes long and covers the entire meeting except for a gap of about 10 minutes around the one-hour mark due to technical difficulties. The video was recorded by Benjamin Spencer. Visit his blog at Nomp-Haho. […]
September 10: Kohl Condo Hearing Before Conservation Commission
Kohl Construction’s 20-unit condo proposal for North Street goes again before the Conservation Commission on September 10, 5:30pm in the City Hall Hearing Room, 2nd floor, 210 Main Street. The conditions and convenants are expected to be a focus of the hearing. Concerned citizens are urged to attend. Here are the details: Northampton Conservation CommissionAgenda […]
Pictures from the August 27 Conservation Commission Hearing on the Kohl Condo Proposal
Northampton’s Conservation Commission discussed a hydrological review of the Kohl Construction North Street condo proposal at an August 27 hearing. They took no vote but agreed to discuss the proposal again on September 10 at 5:30pm (City Hall Hearing Room, 210 Main Street, 2nd floor). The commissioners desired to refine language in the draft covenants and project […]
Lessons from San Diego: Why We Need Infill Design Guidelines
Densification without design guidelines invites problems. Diana DeRubertis analyzes San Diego’s experience for Planetizen: Residential Infill, 70’s-StyleIn 1979, the City of San Diego launched a plan to steer new development into the craftsman-lined neighborhoods close to downtown. The idea was sound: scatter higher density housing throughout existing “smart growth” communities. Part of the city’s General Plan […]
Conservation Planner Bruce Young’s Staff Report on Latest Kohl Condo Proposal
Northampton Conservation and Land Use Planner Bruce Young has issued the following staff report on Kohl Construction’s latest 20-unit condo proposal for North Street. Concerned citizens are urged to attend the hearing on August 27, 6pm in the City Hall Hearing Room (210 Main Street, 2nd floor, enter via the back door). Staff Report [partial]To: […]
The Urbanophile: “The Downside of Living Carless in a Small City”
We’ve touched on the social benefits of car ownership before. Here are more thoughts on the subject from The Urbanophile: The Downside of Living Carless in a Small City…In a metro area that is nearly all auto oriented, much of the setting of civic life in that city is outside of the core downtown area […]
August 27: Conservation Commission Revisits Kohl Condo Proposal; Hydrological Review
Kohl Construction’s proposal to build 20 condo units off North Street goes back before the Conservation Commission on August 27, 6pm in the City Hall Hearing Room. We believe that several key concerns raised by commission members in March have been addressed little if at all in the current proposal. Concerned citizens are urged to […]
9 Short Videos: An Architecture and Urbanism Tour of Ward 3 – Market and Hawley Streets
The Northampton Design Forum and the Ward 3 Neighborhood Association hosted an urban design tour of Market and Hawley Streets last Sunday morning, August 9. Native son Aaron Helfand, recently graduated from the Notre Dame School of Architecture, led the tour. Participants learned about the historical features of several homes and discussed what makes for […]