On September 20, the Northampton City Council will revisit a proposed revision to the wetlands protection ordinance that would allow new development to encroach as close as 10 feet in downtown districts. The current ordinance generally prefers a 100-foot buffer zone. The new ordinance assumes that meaningful mitigation can be done when development disturbs a […]
Opinion
Northampton Open Space Plan: “This loss of habitat and natural flood buffering areas is Northampton’s most serious environmental problem”
Some have criticized members of NSNA for intruding themselves in the wetlands debate at a late hour. Where have you been, they say. We’ve been discussing this for years.That’s true, although not a convincing rebuttal to our arguments. Sometimes the downsides to a concept that sounds good (infill) aren’t obvious until someone proposes a specific development. Moreover, we have […]
North Street Gets Support from South Street: A Letter from Virginia Schulman
We received this open letter today from a fellow resident, sharing our concerns about infill projects that consume downtown greenspace: Statement from Virginia Schulman, living at 358 South Street, Northampton, since 1983We had a lovely small wooded area on one corner of the intersection of South Street with New South and Old South streets. The owner […]
Letter to Advocate: “Heartsick Over Noho”
The August 30 Valley Advocate publishes “Heartsick Over Noho”, a letter to the editor from Ann Foley of Berkeley, California: I’m heartsick over all the bad planning that’s been going on in Northampton. On my recent two-week visit, I noticed many changes to Northampton from just a year ago! Green Street is a silent, gaping […]
Northamptonist: A New Blog Joins the Fray
A new blog, P. Mastrangelo’s Northamptonist, comments on infill and the Kohl Construction and Hilton Garden Inn controversies: …There’s a reason people leave the great cities in Europe, Latin America, and elsewhere, feeling inspired about life. Northamptonist wants people who live in and visit Northampton to be able to replicate those same feelings.The Kohl Development […]
Gazette Lead Editorial: “A public role in planning”
The lead editorial in today’s Gazette says public input needs to be involved earlier in the planning process: While the Planning Board’s options are limited statutorily, in our opinion there needs to be a way for the board to garner public opinion earlier in the process and work with developers sooner to address design concerns……Northampton […]
Northampton Redoubt: Urban Ecology, Planting Trees, and the Long-Term View
Daryl LaFleur urges the long view in “Northampton developments: Barrett Street Marsh in Jeopardy”, published yesterday on Northampton Redoubt. We have emphasized certain passages with bold type. Mr. Kohl is an influential real estate developer in the greater Northampton area. He purchased Thornes Marketplace for $6.4 million in 2006 according to media reports and has helped […]
Letter to The Republican: “planners and most board members are out of touch with the city’s residents”
Today’s Republican publishes a letter from John Sinton, a retired land-use planner. Here is an excerpt: Northampton board lax in OK of Hilton site planThe recent approval of a Hilton Garden Inn site plan by the Northampton Planning Board was heartbreaking. While the public made both rational and impassioned pleas to reject the hotel’s current site […]
Letters from Residents Describe Groundwater and Sewage Issues Around North Street
A flag on a map can indicate flood damage from a storm like Floyd, but the human impact of groundwater and sewage issues is best told by current and former residents. Irene Carlberg, Noreen Beebe and Donna Cavanagh have kindly provided us with their testimony, borne of years of experience of living in the North […]
Fran Volkmann: Planning Board Needs to Consider Proposals in their Broader Context
Fran Volkmann is a former member of the Northampton City Council and the Planning Board. In Tuesday’s Gazette, she expresses concern about how the Planning Board handled the Hilton Garden Inn proposal. Many of the issues she mentions also arise with Kohl Construction’s condo proposal for North Street. The zoning ordinance lists a number of […]