Northampton’s Senior Land Use Planner/Permits Manager Carolyn Misch led a workshop on the proposed changes to the Zero Lot Line zoning regulations at Bridge Street School on 3/17/09. The goal of the changes is to facilitate infill by “[simplifying] Zero Lot Line Development to eliminate fences, reduce 30’ side setback to 15’, and allow lots […]
Trees
Watering-up: Studies of Groundwater Rising After Trees Cut
At the February 26 Conservation Commission hearing regarding Kohl Construction’s North Street condo proposal, Jono Neiger of Regenerative Design Group noted that removing large numbers of mature trees, as Kohl proposes to do, may cause the already high water table to rise even further. In Kohl’s Stormwater Drainage Report (PDF, 2.8MB, submitted 3/6/09), seasonal high groundwater […]
The Role and Function of Forest Buffers in the Chesapeake Bay Basin for Nonpoint Source Management
This 1993 research paper (PDF, 156KB) underscores the value of the North Street woods for water management and pollution control around Millyard Brook. Kohl Construction proposes to cut down many mature trees near the Millyard Brook wetlands to make way for a condo project. Highlights from the paper: “A mature forest can absorb as much […]
March 2: Zero Lot Line Workshop
Citizens are urged to attend a Planning Department workshop on proposed changes to the zero-lot line rules. Here are the details, also available as a PDF (271KB): See also: Video: Planning Board and Ordinance Committee Discuss Zero Lot Line Changes, Traffic Mitigation Payments Some issues that arose during and after the [1/8/09] discussion include: 1:42:15-1:45:55… […]
Japanese Knotweed and Multiflora Rose: Is Herbicide the Answer?
In an effort to earn ‘extraordinary mitigation’ points and justify close encroachment to the wetlands off North Street, Kohl Construction proposes to apply herbicide in an effort to eradicate two invasive species on its property: Japanese knotweed and multiflora rose. Northampton Land Use and Conservation Planner Bruce Young says that if Kohl did this to […]
Video: Planning Board Meeting of January 22; Hospital Hill; Kohl Condo Proposal
Here are two Vimeo videos (part 1, 86 minutes; part 2, 112 minutes) of portions of the Planning Board meeting of January 22. These videos were recorded by Lachlan Ziegler. Part 1[We join the Planning Board just a minute or so into the start of their meeting] 0:00:00-0:59:59… Informal discussion with Mass Development on Planned […]
Video: Conservation Commission Meeting of 1/22/09; Non-Compliance with Wetlands Protection Agreements; Kohl Asked to Revise Condo Proposal Again
Here is a Google video of a large portion of the Conservation Commission meeting of January 22. This video is 3 hours and 7 minutes long, and was recorded by Adam Cohen. See portions of a Gazette article on this hearing, pictures of the Kohl condo proposal as reviewed, the conservation staff report and a […]
Planning Commissioners Journal: “Managing Stormwater Runoff: A Green Infrastructure Approach”
This article from the Winter 2009 edition of Planning Commissioners Journal underscores the benefits of working with nature to manage stormwater: Managing Stormwater Runoff: A Green Infrastructure Approachby Lynn Richards, Acting Director for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Development, Community, and Environment Division …Green infrastructure strategies reduce and manage stormwater through infiltration (water soaking into […]
Northampton Redoubt: “Mr. Kunstler, is all infill good?”
Daryl LaFleur published the following interview with James Howard Kunstler on Northampton Redoubt this weekend. Kunstler is the author of The Geography of Nowhere, written “Because I believe a lot of people share my feelings about the tragic landscape of highway strips, parking lots, housing tracts, mega-malls, junked cities, and ravaged countryside that makes up […]
Gazette Reports on Kohl Condo Hearings; Pictures of the Latest Proposal; Conservation Staff Report; HYLA Critique
Today’s Gazette reports on the Conservation Commission and Planning Board hearings yesterday for Kohl Construction’s proposed condo project off North Street (see schematic diagrams and narrative). We’ll have videos of both these hearings online within a few days. No decisions were made. Hearings are scheduled to continue on February 26 (Conservation Commission) and March 26 […]