Visitors to the home page of the Daily Hampshire Gazette, GazetteNet.com, will see our new animated banner ad starting today:In this ad, we are calling particular attention to detention ponds as people may not appreciate how the need for them may surge under the proposed wetlands ordinance. The ordinance is specifically aimed at encouraging infill […]
Author: NorthAssocAdmin
Nonotuck Land Fund Raised Wetlands Buffer Issue in May
Some city officials have said that NSNA is late arriving on the scene. The new wetlands ordinance has been on the table for two years, they say, and we are disinclined to discuss it further. Many of our arguments are not new, however. They are articulated in Northampton’s Flood Mitigation Plan, approved by the City […]
An Open Letter from Carol Hutter, North Street Resident, to the Mayor
From: Carol Hutter…Sent: Monday, September 10, 2007…To: Mayor of NorthamptonSubject: northassoc.org..Keep it green!Hello! My name is Carol Hutter, and I currently reside at…North Street. I am just writing to let you know that I am concerned about the prospect of building in the wooded area near my apartment. I feel that it is really important […]
Conservation Commission Schedules 9/18 Meeting to Discuss Vernal Pools
Northampton’s Conservation Commission has scheduled a meeting at 6:30pm on Tuesday, September 18, to discuss the “proposed changes to the language of the vernal pool section of the proposed Wetlands Ordinance”. The meeting will take place in City Hall Room 11, 212 Main Street.For more information contact Bruce W. Young, Land Use and Conservation Planner, […]
NSNA Debuts New Radio Campaign, Newspaper Ad Today
The North Street Neighborhood Association today launches a new series of radio ads on WHMP-AM and a print ad on page A7 of the Daily Hampshire Gazette. We reproduce the text of these ads below, adding links to make it easy to research the issues further and take action.Script of WHMP Radio Spot (revised 9/12/07, […]
The proposed ordinance is not consistent with past practice, and favors substantial new encroachments on Northampton’s wetlands
It has been argued that the proposed wetlands ordinance merely codifies current practice with respect to buffer zones, so residents should not be unduly concerned. Ward 3 City Councilor Marilyn Richards goes further and maintains that the proposed ordinance is actually more restrictive than the current guidelines, but that some residents haven’t grasped this. “Because […]
Connecticut River Watershed Action Plan: Remove impervious surfaces within 50 feet of streams
In 2003, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs published a Connecticut River 5-Year Watershed Action Plan For the Massachusetts Section of the Watershed (PDF). In the interests of filtering out stormwater pollution and reducing peak flows during storms, this plan calls for the removal of impervious surfaces within 50 feet of streams. We believe […]
Gazette: “City Council delays action on vernal pools”
Today’s Gazette reports on the City Council’s decision to table the new wetlands and vernal pools ordinances until its September 20 meeting: After nearly two years of talks, proposed laws designed to protect wetlands and vernal pools are still a work in progress.…the council tabled the entire ordinance after several councilors said they would not […]
Gazette’s Hampshire Life: Development of Forests and Open Fields Impacts Birds
This week’s Hampshire Life discusses the impact of development on birds in “Birding: Not just an idle pastime”… This year, the U.S. Geological Survey’s annual Breeding Bird Survey and the Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Count both indicated a decline in bird numbers…According to a 2003 Mass Audubon report, development in the state ate up 40 […]
Where We Stand on Wetlands: A Review of the Issues
On September 20, the Northampton City Council will revisit a proposed revision to the wetlands protection ordinance that would allow new development to encroach as close as 10 feet in downtown districts. The current ordinance generally prefers a 100-foot buffer zone. The new ordinance assumes that meaningful mitigation can be done when development disturbs a […]