Metropolitan Portland has been grappling with issues of Smart Growth for years. Its Nature in Neighborhoods program recognizes that greenspace is an important amenity for residents: The Portland metropolitan region is set in an exceptional natural landscape. It is surrounded by hills and mountains and laced with rivers and streams. It is a region of national […]
Kohl Construction Plans
Maintaining Stormwater Management Systems
Stormwater, the Journal for Surface Water Quality Professionals, discusses the challenges of maintaining stormwater management systems (September 2007): Jacobson [Jake Jacobson, general manager with Escondido, CA–based Downstream Services] saw some filters neglected so severely that they’d be completely clogged with plastic bags, soggy newspapers, and forgotten fast food containers. He’d see retention ponds overgrown with invasive species, […]
Our Response to Suzanne Beck’s Letter to the Gazette
Today’s Gazette publishes a letter from Suzanne Beck, executive director of the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce: “Wetlands law will help city secure a sustainable future”. Ms. Beck believes the new ordinance will create “new no-disturb areas of 10 to 50 feet”.Regardless of the merits of the other parts of the proposed ordinance, a 10-foot wetlands […]
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Is the Proposed Wetlands Ordinance Similar to Current Buffer Zone Policy? Judge for Yourself
Several public officials have asserted that the proposed Wetlands Ordinance, scheduled to return to the City Council’s agenda on 9/20, is a continuation of existing policy, or even a strengthening of it. We encourage you to judge for yourself. First we present the current policy, in effect since 10/23/03:While the Conservation Commission has granted limited exceptions […]
Northampton Redoubt: Doug Kohl reduces “footprint” of subdivision proposal due to the discovery of vernal pools in the North Street area wetlands
Daryl LaFleur has just published an article on Northampton Redoubt reporting that Kohl Construction has adjusted its proposal for condos off North Street. Daryl has kindly allowed us to reproduce his article in its entirety: Doug Kohl reduces “footprint” of subdivision proposal due to the discovery of vernal pools in the North Street area wetlandsConcerned […]
Detention Pools, Children and Drowning
Besides algae and mosquitoes, there is another risk to detention pools/retention ponds. They can be a drowning hazard for young children. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention underscores the general risks from drowning: In 2004, of all children 1-4 years old who died, 26% died from drowning (CDC 2006). Although drowning rates have slowly […]
Photos Show: Man-Made Lakes and Stormwater Retention Systems Are No Substitute for Natural Wetlands
The Post and Courier of Charleston, South Carolina, has prepared an excellent flash slideshow comparing natural wetlands with man-made substitutes. The presentation is 4 minutes and 16 seconds long, and has no audio component. The pictures speak for themselves. Here are some of the highlights: 4 min 4 sec from the end of the presentation“Though […]
Topographical Map Shows How Kohl Condo Proposal Will Eat Into a Rare Stand of Mature Trees in Downtown
We have enlisted OLIVER, The MassGIS Online Data Viewer, to show just how rare and precious the woods behind North Street are in downtown Northampton. These woods are part of Kohl Construction’s proposed 5.49 acre condo site. The plan calls for 31 units and 66 parking spaces, plus access roads [update: the latest version of the plans calls for […]
Gazette: Erosion Near New Southampton Subdivision: Detention Basin Under Scrutiny
Monday’s Gazette reports on erosion near a new subdivision in Southampton. There may be lessons with respect to the use of detention basins to manage stormwater. From “Southampton riverbank erosion under scrutiny”: Conservation officials here are still trying to determine whether a spring ‘blowout’ that dislodged thousands of pounds of sand from a wooded slope […]
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Northampton Redoubt: Urban Ecology, Planting Trees, and the Long-Term View
Daryl LaFleur urges the long view in “Northampton developments: Barrett Street Marsh in Jeopardy”, published yesterday on Northampton Redoubt. We have emphasized certain passages with bold type. Mr. Kohl is an influential real estate developer in the greater Northampton area. He purchased Thornes Marketplace for $6.4 million in 2006 according to media reports and has helped […]
Continue reading Northampton Redoubt: Urban Ecology, Planting Trees, and the Long-Term View