Northampton Senior Land Use Planner Carolyn Misch presented “Contemporary Northampton in 2030” at Historic Northampton on July 16. This YouTube recording was made by Ruth McGrath. Contemporary Northampton in 2030 See also: Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive Plan Download Envisioning Sustainable Northampton – Final Notre Dame Studio Presentation Book
Lilly Lombard Makes Updated Presentation on Trees to City Council/Board of Public Works Conference Committee
Lilly Lombard made a presentation on the value and importance of urban trees to Northampton’s City Council/Board of Public Works Conference Committee on June 23 (meeting agenda). Here is a YouTube video of the meeting recorded by Ruth McGrath (see the first 46 minutes for the presentation and discussion about trees), followed by a PDF […]
Lilly Lombard: Northampton Needs a Comprehensive Tree Program
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 […]