Ward 4 City Councilor David Narkewicz is circulating the following announcements: City Council FY 2010 Budget Hearings Tuesday, May 26, 2009 & Wednesday, May 27, 2009 5:00 PM City Council Chambers, Puchalski Municipal Building 212 Main Street, Northampton Tuesday Agenda: Northampton Police Department Northampton Fire Department Wednesday Agenda: Department of Public Works Central Services […]
Neighborhood Character
Video: Kollmorgen Hospital Hill Presentation of 5/20/09
Here is a complete blip.tv video of Kollmorgen presenting a proposal for its new Hospital Hill facility to the community on May 20. This meeting took place at Cahillane Dodge, 375 South Street in Northampton. This video is 48 minutes long and was recorded by Lachlan Ziegler. Here is the description from the meeting announcement: […]
Video: Planning Board Reviews the Latest Kohl Condo Proposal on 5/14/09
Here is a blip.tv video from the 5/14/09 meeting of Northampton’s Planning Board. This portion includes the board’s discussion of Kohl Construction’s latest 23-unit condo proposal off North Street. This video is 2 hours 27 minutes long and was recorded by Adam Cohen. During the hearing, several board members expressed a desire to see the […]
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 […]
May 20: Kollmorgen to Hospital Hill Neighborhood Meeting
Ward 4 City Councilor David Narkewicz is circulating the following announcement: Kollmorgen to Hospital Hill Neighborhood Meeting Wednesday, May 20, 2009 6:30 PM Cahillane Dodge, 375 South Street, Northampton [corrected] Ward 4 City Councilor David Narkewicz has arranged for representatives of Kollmorgen Electro-Optical Corporation to present Hospital Hill neighbors with plans and drawings for its […]
Ward 3 Neighborhood Association: Meadows Watch, Montview Traffic Calming Application
The Ward 3 Neighborhood Association is distributing these cards in neighborhoods around the Meadows area: In other news from W3NA… On Tuesday, May 19, at 4:00 PM in the City Council Chambers the Transportation and Parking Commission will review the Montview Neighborhood application for a Traffic Calming Study. (This is for the neighborhood bordered by […]
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, […]
Video: Planning Board Approves North Campus Hospital Hill Subdivision, Denies Dog Kennel Permit on 4/23/09
Here is a blip.tv video from the Northampton Planning Board meeting of 4/23/09. This recording covers the first hour and 25 minutes of the meeting, and was filmed by Lachlan Ziegler. Here are the agenda items covered in the video: 7:00 P.M. Continuation (not previously opened) of a hearing on the request by Hospital Hill […]
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 […]