August 9: Urban Design Tour of Market and Hawley Streets

The Ward 3 Neighborhood Association invites you to attend an urban design tour of Market and Hawley Streets on the morning of Sunday, August 9. This is a good time to identify good and not-so-good urban design as the Zoning Revisions Committee ponders how to implement the Sustainable Northampton Plan.Here are the tour details: WHO: […]

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Video: Northampton Design Forum – Leeds, Baystate and Florence, 7/27/09

Here is a complete blip.tv video of the general session of Northampton Design Forum‘s public forum at the Florence Civic Center on 7/27/09. As publicized in NDF’s flyer, “The purpose of the forum is to facilitate public dialogue about the principles of sustainability and neighborhood design, including the concepts presented by the Notre Dame Urban […]

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Video: Planning Board Meeting of 7/23/09; Hilton Garden Inn Garage Delay

Here is a complete blip.tv video of the 7/23/09 meeting of Northampton’s Planning Board. This video is 3 hours and 23 minutes long, and was recorded by Ben Spencer. Here is the official agenda: THE PLANNING BOARD AND CENTRAL BUSINESS ARCHITECTURE COMMITTEE will hold a joint public hearing in Council Chambers, Puchalski Municipal Building, 212 […]

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Heat and Rain Increasing in Massachusetts: Implications for Infill and the Proposed Landfill Expansion

The Gazette’s July 24 edition of Hampshire Life contains a valuable article, “When it rains it pours”, with implications for infill as well as the proposed expansion of the landfill. First, some excerpts: When it rains it pours: Why Massachusetts is becoming waterlogged…Massachusetts is accumulating rainy months at a disturbing pace.Over the past century, according […]

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Video: Conservation Commission Meeting of 7/23/09; Barrett Street Marsh; Community Preservation Act Funds

Here is a complete blip.tv video of the 7/23/09 meeting of Northampton’s Conservation Commission. This video is 1 hour 18 minutes long and was recorded by Lachlan Ziegler. During the meeting there was a brief discussion of the Kohl condo proposal off North Street. Conservation and Land Use Planner Bruce Young said that a hydrogeologist […]

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Photo Essay: Nature Summers at Millyard Brook

The woods and wetlands around Millyard Brook and Woodmont Road may not be pristine habitats, but they are an oasis for animals in downtown Northampton, and beloved by the people who live there. Will these sights be infilled away?See also:Video: Conservation Commission Meeting of 3/12/09; Deadlock on Kohl Condo Proposal3:38:39… Meyer: “… this is the […]

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Zoning Revisions Committee: 6/3/09 Audio and 7/15/09 Video Recordings

Here is a partial MP3 audio recording of the 6/3/09 meeting of the Zoning Revisions Committee. This recording was made by Jim Nash. It contains the first 1 hour and 31 minutes of the meeting. Here is the 6/3/09 agenda: Public comment Finalize discussion of possible zoning changes Discuss types of infill (develop open space […]

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July 23: Kohl Condo Proposal Goes Back Before the Conservation Commission; New Draft Covenants

Kohl Construction, doing business as Tofino Associates and Northern Avenue Homes, goes back before the Conservation Commission on July 23 at 6:00pm (City Hall Hearing Room, 2nd floor). Kohl proposes to build 20 condo units in the woods and grassy areas behind North Street (see the proposal).Land Use and Conservation Planner Bruce Young expects Kohl’s […]

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Video: Board of Public Works Meeting of 7/15/09 – Alternatives to Landfill Expansion

Here is a complete blip.tv video of the 7/15/09 meeting of Northampton’s Board of Public Works. This meeting discussed the Solid Waste Management Alternatives Study (PDF, 2.7MB). This video is 2 hours and 33 minutes long, and was recorded by Ken Mitchell.Besides the health impacts of the landfill on residents, we ask these questions: The alternatives to […]

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July 30: Northampton City Council Special Meeting on Landfill Ballot Question

Concerned citizens are urged to attend this special meeting of the City Council: See also: Videos: City Council Meeting of 7/9/09 – Landfill Ballot Questions, Local Meals and Hotel Taxes, Conservation Water Not Waste Launches to Save Barnes Aquifer Gazette: “A duel of votes, voices: On landfill future, two possible paths to city’s fall ballot” […]

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