Kohl Construction’s 20-unit condo proposal for North Street goes again before the Conservation Commission on September 10, 5:30pm in the City Hall Hearing Room, 2nd floor, 210 Main Street. The conditions and convenants are expected to be a focus of the hearing. Concerned citizens are urged to attend. Here are the details:
Northampton Conservation Commission
Agenda
Date: Thursday September 10, 2009
Time: 5:30 PM
Place: City Hall Hearing Room (use back door or main Crafts Avenue door) 2nd floor, 210 Main Street, Northampton
For more information: Bruce W. Young, Land Use and Conservation Planner byoung@northamptonma.gov
Agenda
Approval of Minutes for 08/27/2009
5:30 PM
Continuation of a Notice of Intent filed by Tofino Associates, Inc. and Northern Avenue Homes, Inc. for the construction of twenty-three dwelling units and associated roadways, parking areas, driveways, sidewalks, utilities, landscaping and stormwater management system. Project is proposed to take place in the 100-foot buffer zone of Bordering Vegetated Wetlands. Project location is Northern Avenue, Map Id 25C-12 and 25C-17.
*Public hearing was closed on 08/27/2009
6:00 PM
Request by John Clapp for a support letter for a Community Preservation Act application for funds to restore the Upper Roberts Meadow Dam in Leeds.
See also:
Pictures from the August 27 Conservation Commission Hearing on the Kohl Condo Proposal
The commissioners desired to refine language in the draft covenants and project conditions, but showed little interest in several issues raised at their March 12 hearing, issues we believe have not been adequately addressed in the current proposal. These include:
- Units 5-12 would be in an area that [now former] Conservation Commissioner Paul Wetzel objects to building on because the ground is so wet
- Wetzel also expressed concerns about how the underground stormwater detention system by Unit 10 would interact with groundwater in and around the wetland
- Unit 18 appears to be slated for the same place as a unit that Conservation Commissioner Downey Meyer objected to previously as too close to the wetland
- The total amount of disturbance inside the 100-foot wetlands buffer zone would remain high; Meyer objected to this on the version of the proposal reviewed on March 12
The commissioners decided to take a firm stand on requiring four-foot diameter boulders to protect most of the 35-foot no-disturb zone around the Millyard Brook wetlands. Doug Kohl had asked for something less obtrusive, but the commissioners believe that nothing less will deter encroachment over the long term, considering past experience. As you can see from the charts, these boulders might be a tight fit considering how close some condos and paths are to the 35-foot line.
Special Permit As Issued to Kohl Construction for North Street Condos
Video and Slides: Planning Board Grants Special Permit to Kohl Condos on 6/25/09
Latest Kohl Condo Proposal for North Street: 20 Units as Duplexes