Barnstable is another Massachusetts community that emphasizes the importance of a 50-foot undisturbed zone around wetlands. Its regulations (PDF) state: …An undisturbed buffer zone 50 ft. in width shall be provided between wetland resource areas and the limit of site disturbance. It is recommended that proposed structures within the buffer zone be located no closer […]
The Ward 3 Neighborhood Association Invites You to a Social, September 9
It is our pleasure to pass along these announcements from the Ward 3 Neighborhood Association. GREETINGS FROM THE WARD 3 NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONwww.wardthree.com“GOOD THINGS COME IN THREES”WE HOPE YOU CAN JOIN US FOR ALL OF THEMAn Old Fashioned Neighborhood SocialJust plain having fun and meeting each other Sunday, September 9th 1:00pm-4:00pm (rain date: September 16) Montview […]
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 […]
LA Times: “U.S. home prices declining at their fastest pace in two decades”
It’s not the best time to be a seller of homes, reports today’s Los Angeles Times: A much-watched report Tuesday showed U.S. home prices declining at their fastest pace in two decades, signaling that the nation’s housing slump was worsening during what is normally the best time of year for residential real estate.Home prices dropped […]
Northamptonist: A New Blog Joins the Fray
A new blog, P. Mastrangelo’s Northamptonist, comments on infill and the Kohl Construction and Hilton Garden Inn controversies: …There’s a reason people leave the great cities in Europe, Latin America, and elsewhere, feeling inspired about life. Northamptonist wants people who live in and visit Northampton to be able to replicate those same feelings.The Kohl Development […]
Springfield Wetland Regulations: “A minimum of a fifty (50) foot undisturbed buffer”
As with protection for significant trees, once again our friends in Springfield are outpacing Northampton when it comes to environmental protection. Here are excerpts from Springfield’s Wetland Protection Regulations currently in force. We have emphasized selected passages with bold type.Contrast Springfield’s regulations with the ones that will come before Northampton’s City Council on September 6. […]
Bloomberg: Existing Home Sales At Slowest Pace in Five Years
The deterioration in the national housing market continues, as reported today by Bloomberg: Sales of previously owned homes in the U.S. fell in July for a fifth consecutive month, adding to the inventory of unsold properties and showing the housing slump that triggered a collapse in credit markets will drag on……slowest pace since November 2002. […]
Gazette Lead Editorial: “A public role in planning”
The lead editorial in today’s Gazette says public input needs to be involved earlier in the planning process: While the Planning Board’s options are limited statutorily, in our opinion there needs to be a way for the board to garner public opinion earlier in the process and work with developers sooner to address design concerns……Northampton […]
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 […]
Letter to The Republican: “planners and most board members are out of touch with the city’s residents”
Today’s Republican publishes a letter from John Sinton, a retired land-use planner. Here is an excerpt: Northampton board lax in OK of Hilton site planThe recent approval of a Hilton Garden Inn site plan by the Northampton Planning Board was heartbreaking. While the public made both rational and impassioned pleas to reject the hotel’s current site […]