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 […]
Wetlands
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 […]
Our Ad in Today’s Gazette: A Review of Our Objections to the Kohl Condo Proposal
Here is our ad as it appears on page 3 of the A section in today’s Daily Hampshire Gazette (download a high-resolution PDF). This ad summarizes many of our key objections to the Kohl condo proposal for North Street. The text is reproduced below the ad image with links added so you can explore the […]
New England Climate Change: More Rain on Snow Will Challenge Stormwater Management
Stormwater modeling calculations, such as those found in the Kohl condo proposal for North Street, typically leave out a number of common scenarios. One of the most challenging of these is managing the flow from rain that falls on snow. Frozen ground doesn’t absorb water well. Snow can plug up pipes and grates and interfere […]
Kohl Submits Revised Proposal Ahead of January 22 Hearings; Modest Concessions to Conservation Commission
Kohl Construction, doing business as Tofino Associates/Northern Avenue Homes, submitted a revised condo proposal to the Conservation Commission on Friday. Download PDFs of the revised proposal (1.96MB) and associated narrative (1.31MB). This proposal will come before the Conservation Commission and the Planning Board on January 22 (see below). Concerned citizens are urged to attend. Here […]
Video: Conservation Commission Meeting of 1/8/09; Challenges of Building Close to Wetland No-Disturb Zones
Here is a Google video of a large portion of the Conservation Commission meeting of January 8. This video was recorded by Lisa Boulerice, and is 1 hour and 47 minutes long. The commissioners discuss at length the difficulties involved with placing structures close to the 10-foot no-disturb zone in Special Industrial zoning districts. Here […]
Kohl Condo Proposal: Come to the Conservation Commission Hearing on January 8
We are distributing this flyer to the North Street neighborhood. Download it as a PDF. Join us on January 8 and let the Conservation Commission know a developer’s profits must be balanced with our safety, quality of life, and the health of our environment. See also: Kohl Construction Applies for Special Permit and Site Plan […]