Northampton’s Planning Board reports today that it will defer its hearing on Kohl Construction’s application for a Special Permit and Site Plan Review to January. We’ll get you the exact time and date when it’s announced. Kohl’s proposal will still be heard by the Conservation Commission on December 11, 5:30pm, in the City Hall Hearing […]
Kohl Construction Plans
The Prince of Wales: Value Complexity, Respect Nature, Avoid Technological Hubris
As Kohl Construction endeavors to inject a cluster of cookie-cutter condos into one of the last substantial stands of trees near downtown Northampton, hoping that elaborate stormwater mitigation schemes will keep this swampy ground safe and unpolluted, The Prince of Wales gave a speech to the Foreign Press Association in London on November 25. To […]
Kohl Conservation Commission and Planning Board Hearings Slated for December 11
The Conservation Commission and Planning Board have scheduled hearings for December 11 on Kohl Construction’s application for a Special Permit and Site Plan Review for its North Street woods condo project. Concerned citizens are urged to attend. Northampton Conservation Commission AgendaDate: Thursday December 11, 2008 Time: 5:30 PM Place: City Hall Hearing Room (use back […]
Kohl Construction Applies for Special Permit and Site Plan Review
Kohl Construction, doing business as Tofino Associates and Northern Avenue Homes, filed an application for Special Permit and Site Plan Review with the Planning Board on November 13. You may download the application (PDF, 15.3MB) and the full-scale architectural plans (PDF, 9.2MB) associated with it. The Conservation Commission and the Planning Board intend to hear […]
Smart Growth vs. “Smart Growth”
“We would like to concentrate development closer in, we like the idea of walkability, bikeability, neighborhood center… The thing that happens to us, however, is that we buy that and then somebody builds some horrible thing…and then they say to you, “This is infill, you know. It’s good, it’s infill.” …You know if you walk […]
New Hazards Mitigation Plan Reflects Weakened Protection for Wetlands
Northampton’s Office of Planning and Development has made the new Proposed Local Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan (PDF) available for public review. The Planning Board will hold a public hearing on this plan on November 13, 7pm, in City Council Chambers, 212 Main Street. We compared the new Plan to the existing one, which the City Council signed […]
Hyla Report: Northampton Wetlands Buffers at Narrow End of Massachusetts Spectrum
The North Street Neighborhood Association recently engaged Hyla Ecological Services to compare Northampton’s new wetlands buffer zones to those found elsewhere in Massachusetts. As a refresher, here are the buffer zones in Northampton (Municipal Code, Chapter 337-10-E-2). Note the multiple zoning districts where encroachment to within 10 feet is permitted: The City’s general policy is […]
Adjacent Conservation Land Promoted as Feature of Kohl-Built Home in Amherst
The sales copy for this $875,000 home in Amherst suggests that Kohl Construction well knows the value of greenspace to a home buyer (emphasis added): Gorgeous custom-designed Doug Kohl 5 bedroom Contemporary home with gourmet kitchen w/Granite & butler pantry on lovely landscaped yard allowing privacy yet in a neighborhood. Family room with 20′ vaulted […]
Conservation Commission Approves LEC Vernal Pool Assessment; No Pools To Be Certified
Last summer, Northampton’s Conservation Commission voted to request vernal pool assessment on Kohl Construction’s property off North Street. Vernal pools are rare and fragile environments that enjoy special protection in Northampton’s Wetlands Ordinance.This spring, Kohl hired LEC Environmental Consultants to determine if his vernal pools merited certification. This work was monitored by Hyla Ecological Services, a […]
Vernal Pool Assessment Protocol for Wetlands Off North Street
Here are excerpts from the Vernal Pool Assessment Protocol (PDF, 204KB) prepared by LEC Environmental Consultants for Kohl Construction. Kohl needs to assess the probable vernal pools on its property off North Street before attempting to proceed with its plans to build 26 condo units in the area. Northampton’s Conservation Commission approved this protocol on […]