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 […]
Continue reading Gazette Lead Editorial: “A public role in planning”
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 […]
Continue reading Northampton Redoubt: Urban Ecology, Planting Trees, and the Long-Term View
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 […]
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 […]
Continue reading Letters from Residents Describe Groundwater and Sewage Issues Around North Street
On September 2, 2004, the Northampton City Council approved a Flood and Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan (PDF). The Project Manager for developing this plan was Gloria McPherson, Conservation and Land Use Planner. Ms. McPherson now works for Kohl Construction. Here are key highlights from the plan with respect to NSNA’s objectives, followed by an expanded overview. […]
In a significant victory for NSNA, Northampton’s Conservation Commission voted tonight to delay until spring its review of vernal pool delineation on Kohl Construction’s proposed condo site behind North Street. In its original Wetlands Application (PDF) filed several weeks ago with the city, Kohl asserted there were no existing or potential vernal pools on the site:After […]
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 […]
Continue reading Fran Volkmann: Planning Board Needs to Consider Proposals in their Broader Context
We are pleased to share this report from Alec MacLeod of Orange, an environmental scientist with expertise in wetlands. NSNA engaged Mr. MacLeod to inspect the wetlands bordering Kohl Construction’s proposed condo project off North Street. With the permission of Mr. Kohl, Mr. MacLeod paid a site visit to the property on August 20. He was […]
The Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions provides a convenient list of wetlands regulations from cities across the state. Here we excerpt and emphasize portions of Attleboro’s regulations, as adopted in 2004 (MS Word file). 4.7 VERNAL POOLSThe Ordinance recognizes Vernal Pools as a protected Wetland Resource Area. The area within 100 feet of the mean […]
Continue reading Attleboro, MA: Evaluating and Protecting Vernal Pools; Stormwater Modeling
On April 17, 2006, the Creeks Task Force of Berkeley, CA approved recommendations (PDF) to balance development with wetlands protection. Here are selected passages that have relevance to the debate over Northampton’s wetlands ordinances. Wenger (1999) contains a review and synthesis of “over 140 articles and books…to establish a legally-defensible basis for determining riparian buffer […]
Continue reading Protecting Creeks in Berkeley, CA; Value of Buffer Zones