Mayor’s Email Update January 2009

The Mayor’s office is circulating the following email update today: Mayor’s Email Update January, 2009 Topics: Young At Heart News of Note Knowledge Corridor Passenger Rail Study Northampton Tops Commonwealth Capital – Again! Home Energy Audits Inaugural events at the Academy of Music & Northampton Center for the Arts Madwoman of Chaillot Four Sundays in […]

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Video: “Low Impact Development: Performance Results and Implementation in the Field”; Summer vs. Winter Performance of Stormwater Systems

Here is a Google video of “Low Impact Development: Performance Results and Implementation in the Field”, a presentation from the Smart Growth – Smart Energy Conference 2008, a conference held on 12/12/08 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. This presentation includes a comparison of the merits of various stormwater management systems. Some are much […]

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“Innovative Non-Zoning Approaches to Encourage Smart Growth and Protect Public Health” – Video with Wayne Feiden and Bruce Young

Wayne Feiden and Bruce Young from Northampton’s planning department were among the presenters at the Smart Growth – Smart Energy Conference 2008, a conference held on 12/12/08 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. Feiden and Young presented in a session titled, “Innovative Non-Zoning Approaches to Encourage Smart Growth and Protect Public Health”. NSNA’s Adam […]

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Hospital Hill: 12/1/08 Joint Meeting of the Citizens Advisory Committee, Planning Board and Housing Partnership – Video and Minutes; MassDevelopment vs. Notre Dame Visions

Here is a complete Google video of the 12/1/08 joint meeting of Northampton’s State Hospital Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC), Planning Board and Housing Partnership. This video is 2 hours and 18 minutes long, and was recorded by Lachlan Ziegler. A draft of the official minutes follow the video. The minutes may also be downloaded as […]

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The Towing – An Open Letter from Ellen LaFleche

We would like to share with you this open letter to Mayor Clare Higgins from Clark Avenue resident Ellen LaFleche. To All It Concerns, My husband works as an activities director at a local retirement community, and although our own retirement is more than a decade away, we spend lots of time talking about where […]

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Envisioning Sustainable Northampton: Notre Dame Urban Design Presentation – Video and Handout

Here is a complete Google video of Envisioning Sustainable Northampton, the final presentation of The Notre Dame Northampton Charrette. This video is 2 hours and 33 minutes long, and may also be viewed at Vimeo video. You may download a PDF of the slides here. The video was recorded by Adam Cohen. [1/9/09 update: Northampton […]

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More Detail on the Zero Lot Line Proposed Changes; Evaluating Infill Impacts

[Revised on 12/17/08] Carolyn Misch, Senior Land Use Planner in the Northampton planning department, has kindly provided us with more details about the proposed changes to the Zero Lot Line regulations. These details are reproduced below and may also be downloaded as a PDF, but first, here is explanatory text circulated by Ward 3 City […]

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Applicants Sought for Zoning Revisions Committee

Northampton’s Office of Planning and Development is circulating the following announcement: The Planning Board is Seeking Applicants for the Northampton Zoning Revisions Committee What is the Zoning Revisions Committee? The Zoning Revisions Committee will assist the Northampton Planning Board in identifying, developing, and recommending zoning ordinances that serve to implement the Northampton Sustainability Plan. The […]

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Envisioning Sustainable Northampton: Notre Dame Urban Design Presentation – Slides

Urban design students from Notre Dame University presented Envisioning Sustainable Northampton at Northampton High School yesterday. Below are selected slides from their presentation. Download all 97 slides (PDF, 16.9MB). We will make a video of the presentation available online within a few days. In the meantime, please visit The Notre Dame Northampton Charrette website for […]

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Breaking News: Conservation Commission Wants Kohl to Leave 35-Foot Wetland Buffer Zone Alone for the Most Part

At tonight’s meeting of Northampton’s Conservation Commission, the sense of the Commission was that Kohl Construction should largely leave alone the 35-foot buffer zone around the wetland behind North Street. This is likely to require a substantial redesign of Kohl’s plans, which called for encroachment as close as 12 feet. The Commission did not take […]

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