Here is a Vimeo video of a portion of the 5/14/09 meeting of Northampton’s Conservation Commission. This video is 2 hours 34 minutes long and was recorded by Adam Cohen. Most of the recording is devoted to the Conservation Commission’s review of Kohl Construction’s latest 23-unit condo proposal for North Street. This video is also […]
Infill
Gazette: “Wetlands, density bog down Northampton condo plans”
Today’s Gazette reports on last night’s Kohl condo hearings before the Conservation Commission and the Planning Board. Kohl proposes to build 23 condos in the woods and grassy areas off North Street around View Avenue and Northern Avenue. The Conservation Commission hearing has been continued to 6pm on Thursday, June 11. The Planning Board hearing […]
Our Radio Campaign This Week on WHMP
NSNA has five different 0:60 spots running this week on WHMP-AM 1400. The spots draw on material from our latest flyer to voice our objections to Kohl Construction’s condo proposal for North Street. Have a listen to these MP3 files (each file is less than 1MB in size): Spot 1: Quick summary of our objections […]
Video: A Close Look at the Presentation of the Wetlands Ordinance to City Council on 9/20/07
The intent of Northampton’s new Wetlands Ordinance has been a hot topic of conversation at the recent Conservation Commission hearings for Kohl Construction’s condo proposal for North Street. What kinds of disturbance are acceptable within 10, 35 and 50 feet of a wetland in our zoning district (URB)? What kinds of mitigation balance a given […]
Audio Recording of Zoning Revisions Committee Meeting of 5/6/09
Here is a complete audio recording of the meeting of Northampton’s Zoning Revisions Committee on May 6. It’s 2 hours and 6 minutes long (MP3 file, 57MB). Thanks to Owen Freeman-Daniels and Jim Nash for facilitating this recording. Here is the meeting agenda: Zoning Revisions Committee Meeting May 6 Agenda 1st Floor Memorial Hall (old […]
Our Ad in Today’s Gazette: “How to Avoid Classic Infill Design Mistakes”
Our ad in today’s Gazette (5/6/09) describes how Kohl Construction’s proposed condo development off North Street would commit a number of classic urban infill design mistakes. Download this ad as a high-resolution PDF (432 KB). Concerned citizens are urged to attend Conservation Commission and Planning Board hearings on this proposal on May 14 (see flyer, […]
Gazette: “Health, fiscal woes seed local vegetable gardens”; Freeman Dyson Sees Future Gold in Green
Today’s Gazette reports that vegetable gardens are even more popular than last year, a good reason not to infill away our urban greenspaces: An estimated 37 percent of all United States households, or about 43 million, plan to grow vegetables, fruit, berries or herbs in 2009, according to the Vermont-based National Gardening Association. That’s up […]
May 6: Zoning Revisions Committee to Discuss Sustainability Plan, Community Involvement
We encourage citizens to attend this meeting on the implementation of the Sustainable Northampton Plan: Zoning Revisions Committee Meeting May 6 Agenda 1st Floor Memorial Hall (old COA space) (enter at side door facing Unitarian Society bldg) 7:00 PM 1. Public comment 2. Discussion with Chris Mason, Northampton energy officer, about green community initiatives3. Discuss […]
Toronto Urban Design Guidelines: Infill Townhouses
The City of Toronto has compiled design guidelines specifically for infill townhouses (PDF, 34 pages). Let’s explore these guidelines and draw contrasts with the Kohl condo proposal for North Street. We have emphasized certain passages in red. Toronto Urban Design Guidelines:Infill Townhouses January 2003 Page 4: As with any type of infill development, however, it […]
Portland Infill Design Strategies: Best Practices for Context-Sensitive Infill Design
Portland, Oregon has long experience with Smart Growth tracing back to the 1970s. While we’ve been critical of many of the ways Smart Growth has been applied there, the city has amassed a valuable body of knowledge about infill techniques that are relatively gentle on existing neighborhoods. Here are selections from “Infill Design Strategies: Best […]