From Northampton’s Office of Planning and Sustainability: Proposed zoning amendments in the residential districts have been submitted to City Council. These changes reflect the ongoing conversation about modifying regulations to reflect the existing neighborhood districts surrounding Florence Center, downtown Northampton and neighborhoods in between. The official proposal for public hearing has been modified from the […]
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President of W3NA Comments on Introduction of Ordinances to Increase Density
Jerry Budgar, president of the Ward Three Neighborhood Association, circulated these comments to Northampton ward and neighborhood groups this week: I just want to give everyone a heads-up that a package of rezoning proposals that would, in some instances, substantially increase density in many areas of the city has been introduced to the City Council […]
Higher Density Urban Residential Zoning Goes Before City Council on April 18
Ordinances for higher-density zoning in Urban Residential Districts A, B and C will go before Northampton’s City Council on April 18. Wards 1-4, downtown Florence and downtown Leeds can expect the greatest impact. See the zoning map. It is expected that these ordinances will be referred for review to the Planning Board, the Committee on […]
Ward 3 Neighborhood Association Conveys Rezoning Concerns to City Officials
This message was circulated to city officials today from the Ward 3 Neighborhood Association. See the proposed residential district zoning changes in the Northampton Planning and Development web pages under Hot Topics. November 27, 2012 Dear Mayor David Narkewicz, City Council President William Dwight, Ward 3 City Councilor Owen Freeman-Daniels, and City Councilor at Large […]
Videos: Public Comments on Proposed Zoning Revisions
Here are YouTube videos of open comment sessions hosted by Northampton’s Planning Board on September 11 and September 12. Members of the public gave feedback on proposed revisions to zoning in urban residential districts URA, URB and URC (look under Hot Topics on the Office of Planning and Development web page). These videos were recorded […]
Atlantic Cities: “New Research Finds Urban Form Plays Little Role in Sustainability”
New research published in the Journal of the American Planning Association and featured today on Atlantic Cities suggests that an excessive focus on urban density may be a mistake. Some excerpts: “To our surprise, if you compare the compact form versus the current trend, the difference in reduced transport by automobile is very minor. And […]
Videos: Community Discussions on Zoning Changes; Concern for Conz Character
Here are two YouTube videos of recent community discussions of proposed zoning changes organized by Northampton’s Office of Planning and Development (see meeting flyer). Streets to be affected include Hawley Street, Conz Street, Damon Road, and areas of Florence (West Farms, Pine Street). Also proposed are new rules to facilitate the reuse of former educational and […]
LA Times: “A hard road for the poor in need of cars”
This article in the November 3 Los Angeles Times underscores the benefits of having a car: A hard road for the poor in need of cars For more than a century, efforts to help the disadvantaged have focused on education, healthcare, nutrition and housing. Almost nothing has been done to help the working poor afford […]
Video: Planning Board, Ordinance Committee Wrestle with King Street Zoning
Here is a YouTube video of the complete 9/8/11 meeting of Northampton’s Planning Board. The City Council’s Ordinance Committee was also on hand for the portion of the meeting that discussed changing zoning regulations along King Street. Click for a summary of the proposed changes and the details of the changes. This video is 3 hours 8 minutes long […]
New King Street Zoning Ordinances Headed for City Council
The effort to revitalize King Street proceeds. The City Council and its committees are expected to consider the following ordinance changes shortly.King Street Zoning Changes Highway Business District Design Standards Entranceway Business District See also:Zoning Revisions Committee Releases Final ReportMain & King Streets Design Charrette: Final ReportVideos: King Street Zoning Workshop and Planning Board, December […]