This afternoon’s thunderstorm pressured Northampton’s downtown storm drains. Police closed the North Street underpass after a car began floating and had to be pushed out. Photos by Adam Cohen. Water at the corner of Hampton Avenue and Old South Street overran the sidewalk… State Street approaching Summer Street… See also: Flooding Incidents in the North […]
Infill
Boston Globe: “The growth of a thoughtful city”
The results of breakneck growth in China lead Carlo Rotella to appreciate how Boston values continuity: The growth of a thoughtful city …When I get back from China I no longer take it for granted that I can walk with my kids down our street past trees, yards, and lawns to a park with a […]
September 14: Public Information Session on Update to Open Space Plan
A message from Sarah I. LaValley, Conservation, Preservation and Land Use Planner in Northampton’s Office of Planning and Development: “A public information session on Northampton’s 2011-2017 Open Space, Recreation, and Multi-Use Trail Plan will be held September 14 at 7:00 PM in Northampton High School’s Little Theater. This Plan will be an update to the […]
TED Video: Ellen Dunham-Jones on Retrofitting Suburbia
As King Street goes under the microscope, architect Ellen Dunham-Jones talks in Atlanta about the successful reuse of empty buildings and parking lots, and enhancing the attractiveness of major thoroughfares. Infill doesn’t have to mean swallowing up our remaining in-town greenspace. From the TED Blog, 6/29/10: “Ellen Dunham-Jones fires the starting shot for the next 50 years’ big sustainable […]
Bay State Village Visioning Project: Survey Results
On June 22, the Visioning Committee of the Bay State Village Association presented the results (PDF, 6MB) of a recent survey of residents’ preferences for the future of their neighborhood. Below are selected slides from the presentation. Preserving open spaces and the natural environment emerge as clear priorities, as does a desire to maintain current lot sizes (not reduce them). […]
Video: Zoning Revisions Committee Continues to Deliberate King Street, 7/21/10
Here is a complete blip.tv video of the 7/21/10 meeting of Northampton’s Zoning Revisions Committee. King Street was once again the main order of business, as the committee continued to discuss fine points as well as broader issues in a proposal from the Chamber of Commerce (PDF). A public forum on King Street rezoning is contemplated for September. This […]
Video: Zoning Revisions Committee Examines King Street Proposals, 6/30/10
Here is a complete blip.tv video of the 6/30/10 meeting of Northampton’s Zoning Revisions Committee. The meeting includes an extended discussion of King Street and rezoning proposals recently put forth by the Chamber of Commerce (PDF). This video is 2 hours 18 minutes long and was recorded by Ken Mitchell. See also: Chamber Plans to Take King Street Proposals […]
Chamber Plans to Take King Street Proposals to Planning Board if Zoning Revisions Committee ‘Bogs Down’ in Process
Here is a blip.tv video of the first 1 hour and 40 minutes of the 6/16/10 meeting of Northampton’s Zoning Revisions Committee. This recording was made by Lachlan Ziegler. Much of the meeting is devoted to discussing “Rezoning King Street” (PDF), a proposal advanced by the Chamber of Commerce. Here is a 10-minute YouTube video […]
Video: Andrew Weir Interviews for Planning Board with Appointments & Evaluations Committee, 6/14/10
Here is a complete blip.tv video of the 6/14/10 meeting of Northampton’s Appointments & Evaluations Committee. This is a committee of the City Council. Andrew Weir, a landscape designer and IT consultant, was interviewed for a position on the Planning Board. The committee voted to recommend his appointment. This video is 30 minutes long and was recorded […]
Video: Chamber Presents “Rezoning King Street” to Planning Board
Here is a blip.tv video of the 6/10/10 meeting of Northampton’s Planning Board. The Chamber of Commerce presented “Rezoning King Street” to the board. This video is 1 hour 58 minutes long and was recorded by Lachlan Ziegler. Below are excerpts from the Chamber’s “Findings & Recommendations” (PDF). The attention to parking issues and pedestrian comfort […]