Northampton’s Rezoning Subcommittee consists of two city councilors (Michael Bardsley and David Murphy) and two members of the planning board (George Kohout and Kenneth Jodrie). They are charged with coming up with proposals as to who should sit on a Rezoning Committee that will distill the Sustainable Northampton Plan into new proposed rules and regulations. […]
Neighborhood Character
Video: June 26 Planning Board Meeting Discusses Hospital Hill, Citizens’ Advisory Committee, Northampton Soccer Club
Here is a video of the last 59 minutes from the June 26 meeting of Northampton’s Planning Board. A discussion of lighting standards for gas stations is followed by a longer discussion of evolutions at Hospital Hill (Kollmorgen Electro-Optical proposes to locate an expanded plant there). At the end is a brief discussion of local […]
Notre Dame Urban Design Studio Project Slated for September 7-13
A new group, the Northampton Design Forum, released this announcement today: On Tuesday, June 24, 2008, the “Northampton Design Forum” was formed under the umbrella of Available Potential Enterprises, Ltd (APE), a non-profit arts organization based in Northampton. The Design Forum, whose members include Northampton citizens interested in fostering quality urban design, decided to invite […]
The Condos at Bixby Court: A Closer Look
At the kind invitation of Joel Spiro and Vincent Silluzio, we visited the Bixby Court condos on June 20 to take a closer look. The development consists of ten units housed in seven buildings. It includes two homes built in the early 19th century and remodeled plus five new farmhouse-style townhouse units. Each unit includes […]
Springfield Republican: “Victory gardens fight price wars”
Following on the heels of a similar article in the June 14 Gazette, yesterday’s Republican reports on surging interest in home gardens: Victory gardens fight price wars … “Vegetable plant sales have been phenomenal. Our sales are up maybe 30 percent this year,” said Leo L. Lapinski, who owns Gooseberry Farms in West Springfield… According […]
Mike Kirby: “The Meadowbrook Chronicles Part One”
We are pleased to reprint the latest article by Mike Kirby, former city councilor. You can also find it on his blog, Kirby on the Loose. The Meadowbrook story has many important facets. Of particular interest to us are the consequences that can follow from building homes near wetlands.The Meadowbrook Chronicles Part OneFor some time, […]
Salem, Oregon Analysis: Balanced Land Use Key to Balanced Municipal Budget, Quality of Life
In 2001, ECONorthwest prepared a “Fiscal Impact Analysis Relating to City Growth and Annexations” for the City of Salem, Oregon. This 60-page report is available from the City of Salem Community Development Department, 555 Liberty Street SE, No. 305, Salem, Oregon 97301-3503. Among the most interesting findings are how different land uses affect municipal revenues […]
Gazette: “As food, other costs rise, more stake hopes on home gardens”
The lead story in today’s Gazette reports on surging interest in home gardens: Veggie-mania: As food, other costs rise, more stake hopes on home gardens …Locally, garden centers are seeing a spike in sales of garden supplies… According to the Associated Press, W. Atlee Burpee & Co., the nation’s largest seed company, has sold twice […]
Ward 3 Update: Saturday Social Event & Exit 19 Advisory Committee Meeting
It is our pleasure to publish this June 11 update from the Ward 3 Neighborhood Association: From: Jerry Budgar, President Re: Saturday Social Event & Exit 19 Advisory Committee Meeting I just wanted to remind everyone that the Ward 3 Neighborhood Association is sponsoring a Strawberry and Lemonade Social this Saturday from 2 to 5 […]
Video: Notre Dame Urban Design Studio Presentation
We are pleased to present these video recordings of Notre Dame’s June 2 urban design studio proposal for Northampton. Professor Phil Bess presents highlights of a growth and development plan for Cooperstown, NY as an example of what suggestions might come from the studio. The planning board will discuss the studio proposal at its June […]