Yesterday we called for the Sustainable Northampton Plan to include pictures so the public can better understand its vision. Northampton planning director Wayne Feiden alerted us to images relating infill and density on the Office of Planning and Development website.Below we have extracted images from OPD’s Density Study Poster (PDF) and Northampton Density Samples (PDF). OPD also presents […]
Infill
Grasping the Sustainable Northampton Vision: We Need Pictures
In all the 78 pages of the draft Sustainable Northampton Plan (PDF), there is only a single graphic. It’s the Future Land Use Map, an abstract, top-level view of the city. That’s unfortunate, because without drawings, pictures and illustrations, it’s difficult to envision how the Plan will change the look and feel of Northampton. James Kunstler, […]
Berkeley, California: Cautions on Infill
In what may be a preview of infill controversies in Northampton, many Berkeley residents are protesting plans to build a three-story rooming house with six units in the back yard of an existing single-family home in a residential neighborhood. The Berkeley Daily Planet tells the story: “LeConte Neighbors Protest Proposed Project”, 10/30/07“A three-story accessory building […]
Tailoring Infill and the New Urbanism to Northampton
The North Street Neighborhood Association is not opposed to all infill per se. The “new urbanism” has many appealing features, but three cautions come to mind.First, due to Northampton’s chronic flooding issues, the proportion of impervious surface in a neighborhood should be closely monitored. A front lawn may not be as “useless” as it looks, […]
Video: The 1936 Connecticut River Flood
Historic Northampton hosts a 6 minute 30 second video on the 1936 Connecticut River flood. View it with Windows Media Player. You will see several feet of water swirling around familiar roads and buildings. This flood imposed $400,000 worth of damage on the city at that time (1936 dollars). Cleanup was a time-consuming process. In the ensuing decade, the Army Corps […]
The New Draft Sustainable Northampton Plan: Balancing Compact Growth Against Taxes, Urban Greenspace, Homeowner Preferences; Come to the November 8 Hearing
The Planning Board will hold a formal public hearing in collaboration with the Sustainable Northampton Steering Committee and City Council on the draft Sustainable Northampton Plan on Thursday, November 8, 2007 at 7:00pm in the Cafeteria at Bridge Street School. Cecil Group consultants will hold an informal Open House question and answer session on the […]
Press Release: Northampton, MA Citizens Campaign to Protect Their Urban Wetlands, Prevent Flooding; 16,978 Postcards Mailed to Voters
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEEmail info@northassoc.org for more informationNorthampton, MA Citizens Campaign to Protect Their Urban Wetlands, Prevent FloodingCitizens of Northampton, MA are campaigning to preserve the buffer zones around the city’s urban wetlands from development. Northampton has a proud tradition of environmental stewardship and sustainable growth, but on October 4, Northampton’s City Council plans to vote […]
Millions of Dollars of Property Outside the Official Floodplain Vulnerable to Localized Flooding
As reported in today’s Sunday Republican, the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission invites the public to review a Local Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan for Northampton (PDF) as well as plans for other valley municipalities.We believe Northampton’s proposed wetlands ordinance, by inviting developers to encroach as close as 10 feet to wetlands in our more populous districts, goes against the goals of […]
Hyla Ecological Services Analyzes the Proposed Wetlands Ordinance
We would like to present this analysis of the proposed wetlands ordinance as prepared by Hyla Ecological Services. The author is Dr. Bryan Windmiller (PDF of curriculum vitae). This analysis, available as a PDF, is being circulated today to members of Northampton’s City Council. Preface for CouncilorsTo: Northampton City CouncilorsFrom: Coalition to Save Northampton’s WetlandsDate: September […]
Alex Ghiselin, Letter to Gazette: “Don’t let development encroach on our wetlands”
Alex Ghiselin is a former City Councilor for Ward 5. The Gazette publishes his letter to the editor today: “Don’t let development encroach on our wetlands” To the editor: Northampton has a natural wetland system that protects us from flooding, nurtures biodiversity and filters our groundwater. Allowing development within 10 feet of this system in […]