Photo Essay: Nature Summers at Millyard Brook

The woods and wetlands around Millyard Brook and Woodmont Road may not be pristine habitats, but they are an oasis for animals in downtown Northampton, and beloved by the people who live there. Will these sights be infilled away?See also:Video: Conservation Commission Meeting of 3/12/09; Deadlock on Kohl Condo Proposal3:38:39… Meyer: “… this is the […]

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Zoning Revisions Committee: 6/3/09 Audio and 7/15/09 Video Recordings

Here is a partial MP3 audio recording of the 6/3/09 meeting of the Zoning Revisions Committee. This recording was made by Jim Nash. It contains the first 1 hour and 31 minutes of the meeting. Here is the 6/3/09 agenda: Public comment Finalize discussion of possible zoning changes Discuss types of infill (develop open space […]

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July 23: Kohl Condo Proposal Goes Back Before the Conservation Commission; New Draft Covenants

Kohl Construction, doing business as Tofino Associates and Northern Avenue Homes, goes back before the Conservation Commission on July 23 at 6:00pm (City Hall Hearing Room, 2nd floor). Kohl proposes to build 20 condo units in the woods and grassy areas behind North Street (see the proposal).Land Use and Conservation Planner Bruce Young expects Kohl’s […]

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July 27: Northampton Design Forum – Leeds, Baystate and Florence

The Northampton Design Forum announces the following event. Download the full-size flyer (PDF, 27KB) and the excerpt from Envisioning Sustainable Northampton (PDF, 1.5MB): See also: Video: Pubic Forum on Planning and Sustainability, 3/11/09 Here are the “10 Principles of Good Neighborhood Design”, also available as a PDF (30 KB): Northampton Design Forum Form-Based Codes Institute […]

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Videos: City Council Meeting of 7/9/09 – Landfill Ballot Questions, Local Meals and Hotel Taxes, Conservation

Here is a blip.tv video of the complete Northampton City Council meeting of 7/9/09. This video is 3 hours and 54 minutes long, and was recorded by Mimi Odgers from Water Not Waste. We have also broken out shorter segments of this video that cover the public comments period, ballot questions on expanding the landfill […]

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Houston Chronicle: “Density hasn’t been kind to Cottage Grove…”

The Houston Chronicle published a cautionary tale about infill on June 28: How urban can Houston become?Density hasn’t been kind to Cottage Grove, a small neighborhood with narrow streets, few sidewalks, poor drainage and scarce parking for the owners of its many new homes and their guests.Like many neighborhoods inside Loop 610, Cottage Grove in […]

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Special Permit As Issued to Kohl Construction for North Street Condos

Here is the special permit issued by the Planning Board in June to Tofino Associates/Northern Avenue Homes/Kohl Construction to build 20 condo units off North Street. Kohl still needs approval from the Conservation Commission (July 23 hearing expected) as well as a resolution to a lawsuit in Land Court over matters of title and rights-of-way. You […]

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Video and Slides: Planning Board Grants Special Permit to Kohl Condos on 6/25/09

Here is a blip.tv video of the Tofino Associates/Northern Avenue Homes/Kohl Construction hearing on June 25 before Northampton’s Planning Board. The board granted a special permit to Kohl to build 20 condo units off of North Street. Kohl has not yet secured approval from the Conservation Commission (hearing expected July 23). A Land Court lawsuit over title […]

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Video: Jesse Adams Campaign Kick-Off for City Council – Speeches with Text

Jesse Adams is running for a City Councilor At-Large position in Northampton. Here is a blip.tv video of the speeches from his campaign kick-off event at the Northampton Country Club on 6/24/09. Mr. Adams is introduced by Rick Gifford and Wendy Foxmyn. This video is 18 minutes long and was recorded by Adam Cohen. For […]

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Latest Kohl Condo Proposal for North Street: 20 Units as Duplexes

This week Kohl Construction submitted a revised condo proposal to the Office of Planning and Development. Compared to the previous proposal shown to the Planning Board on May 14, the new proposal reduces total units from 23 to 20 and breaks up the larger masses into duplexes. Several members of the Planning Board had asked […]

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