Mike Kirby is a former city councilor who currently authors two blogs, Kirby on the Loose and Doyle’s Progress. He has kindly allowed us to reprint two articles from the former. Whether they be condo developers or convenience store owners, the decisions of private businesspeople affect the quality of life in our neighborhood. Crack is […]
Continue reading Mike Kirby: “Where Can You Buy a Crack Pipe?”
Today’s Gazette includes an AP report on the kind of smart growth we think is great: brownfields revitalization. Reusing buildings and paved areas, as opposed to knocking down urban trees and encroaching on wetlands, is infilling the right way. “‘Brownfields’ law altering landscape” …Back in the early 1990s, the state was faced with a backlog […]
Continue reading Gazette: “‘Brownfields’ law altering landscape”
At a special joint meeting on April 17, Northampton’s City Council and Planning Board discussed the composition and mandate of a new Rezoning Committee. This committee would suggest changes to Northampton zoning laws in accordance with the new Sustainable Northampton Plan. After about an hour’s discussion, the participants agreed that an ad hoc committee of […]
Continue reading City Council and Planning Board Proceed Cautiously on Rezoning Committee
An important public meeting concerning the Sustainable Northampton Plan is on tap for Thursday, 6pm in City Council Chambers (212 Main Street). The Planning Board will meet with the Mayor and City Council to discuss forming a Sustainable Rezoning Committee. This committee would suggest new zoning laws that could change Northampton neighborhoods considerably. In particular, […]
On April 12, Northampton’s Broad Brook Coalition hosted a presentation and nature walk by Heather Ruel of the US Fish & Wildlife Service. Heather presented this 15-minute video on vernal pools and their certification in Massachusetts, then led a tour through vernal pools in the Fitzgerald Lake Conservation Area. According to Broad Brook, “Vernal pools […]
Continue reading Video Guide: Certifying a Vernal Pool in Massachusetts
The Environmental Law Institute has just made available a Planner’s Guide to Wetland Buffers for Local Governments as a free 25-page PDF download. This survey of today’s buffer management regimes holds several lessons for Northampton. Among them, the 10-foot buffer zones in our new Wetlands Ordinance are extremely narrow. Buffer zones in ELI’s survey range […]
Continue reading Just Released: Planner’s Guide to Wetland Buffers for Local Governments
As the fate of Bridge Street School–the most “downtown” of all Northampton’s elementary schools–hangs in the balance, it’s a good time to review “Back to School for Planners”, an article from the Fall 2004 issue of Planning Commissioners Journal. The author is Tim Torma, a policy analyst in the EPA’s Smart Growth Program. From “Back […]
As The Sustainable Sites Initiative reports, pollution from water runoff is no joke. “Contaminated stormwater runoff from developed land is the leading cause of water quality problems[23] and accounts for 70 percent of water pollution in urban areas.[29] Runoff from developed areas can contain oil, grease, excessive nutrients, pathogens (e.g., E. coli, hepatitis A), persistent […]
Continue reading Polluted Runoff Helps Trash Two Ponds in South Hadley
Here are excerpts from local newspaper reports on the lawsuit between Kohl Construction and several abutters in the North Street neighborhood. The abutters dispute Kohl’s title and rights-of-way in portions of his land between North Street and the new bike trail… The Republican, “Residents fight condo project”, 3/14/08 Kohl’s project was a frequent reference point […]
Continue reading News Coverage of Lawsuit vs. Kohl Construction
Despite the uncertainty of titles within Kohl Construction’s property off North Street, Northampton’s Conservation Commission voted tonight to approve a Vernal Pool Assessment Protocol for this property. Between March 15 and June 1, LEC Environmental Consultants (LEC), a firm hired by Kohl, will establish monitoring stations around the probable vernal pool area and visit the site […]
Continue reading Conservation Commission Approves Vernal Pool Assessment Protocol on Kohl Property