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: […]
Infill
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 […]
Videos: Planning Board Meeting of 8/13/09; Special Permits for Heavy Public Uses
These two blip.tv videos (part 1, part 2) cover the complete 8/13/09 meeting of Northampton’s Planning Board. The recording was made by Ben Spencer. The first video is 1 hour 28 minutes long and addresses these agenda items: 7:00 P.M. Request by Marge Curello for Special Permit/Site Plan Amendment to change the house plans/elevations for the single […]
Video: Committee on Economic Development, Housing and Land Use, 8/10/09 Meeting
Here is a complete blip.tv video of the 8/10/09 meeting of Northampton’s Committee on Economic Development, Housing and Land Use. The video is 1 hour 55 minutes long and was recorded by Mimi Odgers of Water Not Waste. Video highlights:0:56:40-1:50:58 …Should the City Council retain special permit decision-making authority over landfill expansion (the landfill is a […]
August 9: Urban Design Tour of Market and Hawley Streets
The Ward 3 Neighborhood Association invites you to attend an urban design tour of Market and Hawley Streets on the morning of Sunday, August 9. This is a good time to identify good and not-so-good urban design as the Zoning Revisions Committee ponders how to implement the Sustainable Northampton Plan.Here are the tour details: WHO: […]
Video: Northampton Design Forum – Leeds, Baystate and Florence, 7/27/09
Here is a complete blip.tv video of the general session of Northampton Design Forum‘s public forum at the Florence Civic Center on 7/27/09. As publicized in NDF’s flyer, “The purpose of the forum is to facilitate public dialogue about the principles of sustainability and neighborhood design, including the concepts presented by the Notre Dame Urban […]
Video: Planning Board Meeting of 7/23/09; Hilton Garden Inn Garage Delay
Here is a complete blip.tv video of the 7/23/09 meeting of Northampton’s Planning Board. This video is 3 hours and 23 minutes long, and was recorded by Ben Spencer. Here is the official agenda: THE PLANNING BOARD AND CENTRAL BUSINESS ARCHITECTURE COMMITTEE will hold a joint public hearing in Council Chambers, Puchalski Municipal Building, 212 […]
Heat and Rain Increasing in Massachusetts: Implications for Infill and the Proposed Landfill Expansion
The Gazette’s July 24 edition of Hampshire Life contains a valuable article, “When it rains it pours”, with implications for infill as well as the proposed expansion of the landfill. First, some excerpts: When it rains it pours: Why Massachusetts is becoming waterlogged…Massachusetts is accumulating rainy months at a disturbing pace.Over the past century, according […]