Lilly Lombard, coming off the successful launch of Grow Food Northampton, has turned her attention to Northampton’s stock of trees. She presented her case for a comprehensive tree program to the city’s Energy and Sustainability Commission on June 12. See the first 39 minutes of this video by Ruth McGrath: Here is Ms. Lombard’s presentation […]
Video: Citizens in Wards 3 & 4 Express Concerns about Proposed New Guidelines for Larger Residential Developments
Councilors Ryan O’Donnell (Ward 3) and Gina-Louise Sciarra (Ward 4) hosted residents in City Hall on May 5 to discuss proposed large-development zoning with Wayne Feiden, Director of Planning and Sustainability. While some residents favored increased density in downtown Northampton, others expressed concerns about congestion, parking shortages, and ambiguities in the zoning language that developers […]
Supreme Judicial Court for Massachusetts Denies Kohl Construction’s Application for Further Appellate Review
With this brief email message, the state’s Supreme Judicial Court declined to review decisions by Land Court and the Appeals Court against Kohl Construction and its affiliates. Kohl desired to use a private driveway owned by others to provide access to a portion of a condo project proposed off of North Street. Subject: FAR-22301 – Notice: […]
Video: North Street Residents Discuss Concerns with Councilor Ryan O’Donnell
North Street residents had a public meeting with Ward 3 City Councilor Ryan O’Donnell on 3/25/14 to discuss neighborhood concerns, notably speeding, congestion on narrow roads, and excessive truck traffic. Here is a YouTube video of the complete meeting recorded by Ruth McGrath. It’s 1 hour and 11 minutes long. Residents Wendy and David Newton […]
Appeals Court Affirms Land Court Decision Against Kohl Construction
NSNA is pleased to announce that the Appeals Court of Massachusetts has affirmed an earlier decision by Land Court against Kohl Construction and its affiliates. The developer sought to access Units 13-18 of its proposed condos off North Street via a shared private driveway. Land Court ruled that Kohl Construction may not do this without […]
Letter to Gazette from Jim Nash: Northampton zoning package lacks design standards
Jim Nash, a former member of Northampton’s Zoning Revisions Committee, has an excellent letter in today’s Gazette. Here is an excerpt: What is missing from this zoning package are design standards, regulations that ensure that when development occurs it adheres to our urban streetscape and neighborhood sensibilities. Such regulations are even more important for larger […]
Video: Northampton Property Tax Override Forum
Here is a YouTube video of the complete Northampton Property Tax Override Forum sponsored by the Ward 3 Neighborhood Association on June 19. This recording was made by Ruth McGrath. W3NA president Jerry Budgar describes the format of the forum: Mayor David Narkewicz will speak in favor of the override and Ward 7 City Councillor […]
Letter to Gazette: Northampton’s new zoning proposal lacks safeguards
Today’s Daily Hampshire Gazette includes this letter from NSNA member Adam Cohen. Links have been added for convenient reference. To the editor: The new zoning proposed for Northampton’s urban residential neighborhoods may well give flexibility to owners of one- to four-family homes, but it also gives too much latitude to developers of larger projects. Bad […]
Video: Planning Board Advances Urban Residential Zoning Proposals
Northampton’s Planning Board approved zoning changes for urban residential districts URA, URB and URC. The package includes an amendment to require Special Permits for developments of 7+ units. The proposal will next be revisited by the City Council’s Ordinance Committee at its June 10 meeting. Here is a YouTube video of the Planning Board meeting […]
Residents Express Concerns about Rezoning at Ordinance/Planning Board Meeting
Here is a YouTube video of the complete May 13 meeting of Northampton’s Committee on Elections, Rules, Ordinances, Orders & Claims, followed by a joint meeting of the committee with the Planning Board. Here is the agenda of these meetings. This video was recorded by Ruth McGrath. The joint meeting with the Planning Board begins […]