May 20: Kollmorgen to Hospital Hill Neighborhood Meeting

Ward 4 City Councilor David Narkewicz is circulating the following announcement:

Kollmorgen to Hospital Hill
Neighborhood Meeting

Wednesday, May 20, 2009
6:30 PM
Cahillane Dodge, 375 South Street, Northampton [corrected]

Ward 4 City Councilor David Narkewicz has arranged for representatives of Kollmorgen Electro-Optical Corporation to present Hospital Hill neighbors with plans and drawings for its development of a new facility on the South Campus of the former Northampton State Hospital across Route 66 from Village Hill Road. Kollmorgen officials are scheduled to go before the Northampton Planning Board on May 28, 2009 for a Site Plan Review hearing on its new facility, so this meeting will provide neighbors with an opportunity to understand and ask questions about the project before that formal permitting process begins.

Light refreshments will be served. For more information, contact David at (413) 586-7230 or e-mail him at dnarkewicz@comcast.net.

See also:

Video: Planning Board Approves North Campus Hospital Hill Subdivision, Denies Dog Kennel Permit on 4/23/09

Video: Planning Board Meeting of January 22; Hospital Hill; Kohl Condo Proposal

Hospital
Hill: 12/1/08 Joint Meeting of the Citizens Advisory Committee,
Planning Board and Housing Partnership – Video and Minutes;
MassDevelopment vs. Notre Dame Visions

Notre Dame Northampton Charrette Critical of Hospital Hill Plans, Fleshes Out Alternative

Video: Northampton State Hospital Citizen Advisory Committee Meeting, 11/17/08

Video:
November 13 Planning Board Meeting: Hazards Mitigation Plan; Zoning
Revisions Committee; Hotel Northampton Complaint; Hospital Hill
Diverging from Vision of Planned Village; Comments on Notre Dame
Charrette Website

Video: June 26 Planning Board Meeting Discusses Hospital Hill, Citizens’ Advisory Committee, Northampton Soccer Club
22:30-51:14
Discussion of evolutions at Hospital Hill (Village Hill) with respect to Kollmorgen’s proposed new plant and other changes

  • “The project still has to meet all the design guidelines.”
  • “There’s a lot of components that definitely have to come back to you.”
  • “If they meet the design guidelines, you’re limited to finding they
    meet the design guidelines. If they don’t meet the design guidelines,
    then anything goes.”
  • “Soon as the Kollmorgen thing starts, we’re going to have a packed house…”
  • (42:21) “The thing about the CAC is that it’s the kind of committee
    that sort of gradually increases because there’s 15 people. Most of
    them have very narrow views. One of them represents mental health, one
    of them represents housing, and they don’t care about the project as a
    whole. All they care about is their own special thing. It’s not
    particularly great if you want to reach a consensus about stuff.”
  • “I’m not necessarily opposed to Kollmorgen or any big, industrial
    type thing up there, I just want it to be done in a way that meets the
    village concept.”
  • “Conceptually, it’s OK with the CAC.”
  • “I was surprised it happened without us knowing about it.”
  • “My feeling is it’s going to be like an armed camp up there, and I
    think it would be really desirable for them to design it so that they
    didn’t feel that the parking lot had to be secure; could be a little
    bit more of a village walking places.”

Valley Advocate: Northampton: No “Village” at Hospital Hill (6/12/08)