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NORTHAMPTON2006OriginalFISCAL YEAR 2006 COMMONWEALTH CAPITAL APPLICATION - PDF Created On 11/1/2005 Original Application Municipality: NORTHAMPTON Address: 210 Main Street, Room 11, Northampton, MA 01060 Date: 10/31/2005 10:04:00 AM Name/Title: Wayne Feiden Director of Planning and Development Email: WFeiden@NorthamptonMA.gov Phone: 413-587-1265 Municipal applicants to the Commonwealth Capital programs will need to provide evidence of having met or made a binding commitment to the following sustainable development critera. PLAN FOR & PROMOTE LIVABLE COMMUNITIES (14)Existing Commit 1 Current Master Plan or Executive Order 418 Community Development Plan (5)(3) No documentation required. EO 418 plan adopted. 1a Funding or regulatory action implementing a specific plan recommendation since July 1, 2004 (3)(1) The committment to public forums to plan for a comprehensive plan is underway. The city recently committed $20,000 of city funds and $70,000 of grant funds to this effort and recently completed a three-day community workshop and charrette with assistance of the AIA's Sustainable Design Assessment Team. 2 Adoption of the Community Preservation Act (3)(2) CPA is on the ballot for the voters' consideration on November 8, 2005. 3 Actions to facilitate bicycling and walking (3)(2) Supporting File: - Northampton Transportation Plan--policies.pdf. The city's transporation element of our comprehensive plan spells out our committment to facilitating bicycling and walking (attached). In addition, we currently have three rail trails totalying over two miles under construction or about to go out to bid. ZONE FOR & PERMIT COMPACT DEVELOPMENT (38)Existing Commit 4 Zoning for mixed-use in an applicable location (5)(3) Supporting File: - mixed use zoning.doc. The attached map and text shows houw our zoning meets this criteria. Specifically, mixed use is allowed (section 5.2 of our zoning) in large areas of NOrthampton, see zoning map extract attached. 4a If mixed-use zoning is a DHCD approved 40R District or for Transit Oriented Development (3)(2) Supporting File: - TOD zoning.doc. Existing: See attached map of current transit oriented development zoning. Our Central Business District (secton 5.2 of our zoning) is all located immediately adjacent or within a five minue walk of our primary regional bus transit transfer point and our interurban Peter Pan bus station. Committment: We received a PDF grant from DHCD, a portion of which will be used to examine how 40R could be implemented in Northampton and to draft 40R zoning. 4b Building permit issued for a mixed-use development since July 1, 2003 (2)(0) The "Go West" development on the corner of Main Street, Florence and North Maple Street recieved a building permit on 5/17/2004 for two commercial/retail spaces on the first floor and multi-family housing/enhanced SRO on the second and third floor. This is a total gut/rehab project. The project is located within one of our urban centers, the village of Florence. Other projects have also received building permits since July 2003. 5 Zoning for accessory units (3)(2) Northampton's zoning allows accessory units by rights (up to 900 square feet) in a single family home. The zoning allows detached accessory units by special permit. See Section 5.2 and 10.10 of Northampton's zoning. 5a Occupancy permit issued for at least one accessory unit since July 1, 2004 (2)(0) 840 Westhampton Road, building 2, received a permit for a new single family home with an accessory apartment on 10/8/2004. Many other accessory apartments have also received building permits since July 2004. 6 Zoning allowing by-right multi-family dwellings (not age restricted)(4)(2) Northampton Zoning section 5.2 allows multi-family homes by right in our Urban Residential C zoning district (three family dwellings, multi-family not exceeding 3 stories, townhouses). 6a If zoning allows by-right multi-family dwellings of 4 or more units (not age restricted)(3)(2) Northampton Zoning section 5.2 allows multi-family homes of 4 or more units by-right in our Urban Residential C zoning district, provided they do not exceed three stories OR are townhouse style (multi-family not exceeding 3 stories, townhouses). 7 Zoning for clustered development (5)(3) Zoning allows cluster residential and open space residential development in almost every residential and in some commerical and mixed use areas (sections 5.2 and 10.5 of the zoning ordinance). 7a If cluster is mandated, by-right, or includes a density bonus (3)(2) Cluster residential development includes a bonus density for affordable housing (section 10.5 of the zoning ordinance). 7b A cluster development has been permitted since July 1, 2003 (3)(0) Several clusters have been permitted since July 1, 2003. The Ridge subdivision was approved in February 10, 2005 and endorsed on May 12, 2005 by the Planning Board. It includes 9 cluster lots on 13.5 acres, 4 traditional lots, 16 acres of permanently protected open space being deeded to the city, and a multi-use trail/bicycle path being deeded to the city. 8 Zoning for Transfer of Development Rights (TDR)(3)(2) Section 5.2, 6.2 and 19.0 of the Northampton zoning ordinance authorized TDR from our Farms Forests and Rivers zoning overlay (sending zone) to our Planned Village district (receiving zone). 8a Utilization of TDR since July 1, 2003 (2)(0) EXPAND HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES (33)Existing Commit 9 Current housing plan (4)(2) Northampton has a current housing plan as part of our EO418 Community Development Plan--"Grow Smart Northampton." 9a Achieved municipal goal for production of new units (2)(0) As documented on the commonwealth capital web site, Northampton has a goal production of housing units of 10 units per year. In calendar year 2004, 53 new dwelling units will issued building permits. 9 of these units were new accessory units, of which 2 were carved out of existing residential space. FISCAL YEAR 2006 COMMONWEALTH CAPITAL APPLICATION - PDF Created On 11/1/2005 Original Application Municipality: NORTHAMPTON Address: 210 Main Street, Room 11, Northampton, MA 01060 Date: 10/31/2005 10:04:00 AM Name/Title: Wayne Feiden Director of Planning and Development Email: WFeiden@NorthamptonMA.gov Phone: 413-587-1265 Municipal applicants to the Commonwealth Capital programs will need to provide evidence of having met or made a binding commitment to the following sustainable development critera. 10 Increased housing stock by 30-49% of state goal OR (2)(0) In 2004, 53 new dwelling units received building permits. Not including accessory apartments carved out of existing residential space means 51 new units were created. Not including any accessory units means 44 were created. Based on the table provided, Northampton has provided between 30 and 49% of our share of the state's goal. 50-99% of state goal OR (4)(0) 100% or more of state goal (7)(0) 10a 30-49% of new units produced using mixed use (including 40R & TOD), cluster, TDR, multi-family, and/or conversion/redevelopment OR (2)(0) 50-69% of new units OR (4)(0) 61% of non-accessory dwelling units, or 27 our of 44 units, created in 2004 are smart growth units, as defined by commonweath capital. 70% or more of new units (7)(0) 11 20% or more of single-family building permits issued were for homes on lots of ¼ acre or less (2)(0) 12 Attainment of Planned Production certification (.75% of housing units) OR (4)(0) Attainment of the Chapter 40B 10% threshold (5)(0) Northampton has attained the 40B 10% criteria 13 Funding for the rehabilitation of housing units since July 1, 2003 (3)(0) Supporting File: - cdc rehab contract.doc. Northampton has provided funding for several housing rehabilition projects each year. A contract for one of these projects is attached. 14 Production of housing units on municipal land or with municipal funding since July 1, 2003 (3)(2) The city provided land for the Pioneer Valley Habitat for Humanity to develop six affordable units (three single family homes each with an accessory apartment) for free. Building permits were issued on 10/8/2004 for one of these buildings. The other two buildings have also received permits. REDEVELOP SITES AND BUILDINGS (8)Existing Commit 15 Planning: (a) inventory, (b) remediation, revitalization, or reuse strategy, or (c) site planning (4)(2) Supporting File: - Mill River extract for commonwealth capital.pdf. The city is actively working to redevelop a large brownfields property in the heart of Northampton. One aspect of this project was to prepare a feasibility plan for a site to be sold and developed as a new building. Because of the size of the file, the attachment is only an excerpt from that plan. 16 Incentives: (a) funding, (b) tax, or (c) regulatory (4)(2) The city has been involved in funding brownfields development in several ways. We recieved an EPA Brownfields Pilot, which we matched with City funded staff time, to assess and plan for the redevelopment of the historic Mill River Corridor through downtown. We have received authorization from our City Council Committee on Economic Development Housing and Land Use to sell a city brownfield property for redevelopment purposes. We conducted a site assessment on a former fire station and then sold it to put it back into active use. We just invested funds in an assessment to assess a former rail road parcel to put it back into use as a bicycle/rail trail project. CONSERVE NATURAL RESOURCES (11)Existing Commit 17 Current DCS-approved Open Space and Recreation Plan (4)(2) The City had an approved Open Space and Recreation Plan which expired last year. Our new plan has been approved by the Conservation Commission and Planning Board. Concurrent with this application being submitted to Commonwealth Capital, we are formally submitting our plan to DCS for their approval. in Mail 18 15-25% of town area protected [by a Chapter 184-type restriction or Article 97] OR (2)(0) Slightly over 15% is permanently protected open space. Last week we sent electronic versions of our documentation showing permanently preserved open space to MassGIS and asked them to update their records to show that we exceed the 15% threshold. This land is protected as follows: Agricultural Preservation Restrictions 466.3 acres Conservation Restrictions 198.6 acres Conservation Areas subject to Article 97 1,528.2 acres Parks subject to Article 97 158.4 acres Recreation Areas subject to Article 97 67.7 acres Water supply land subject to Article 97 515.8 acres State land (DAR, DCR, DFW) subject to Article 97 373.3 acres Permanently protected land trust land 592.2 acres TOTAL (land in two catergories counted only once 3,632.7 acres Exceeds 15% of dry land total of Northampton 25% or more of town area protected (3)(0) 19 Land protected via a restriction or fee acquisition alone or with a land trust since July 1, 2003 (4)(0) We acquire approximately 100 acres of open space per year. One typical project is our preservation of land abutting the Fitzgerald Lake Conservation Area earlier this year. On February 3, 2005, City Council voted to authorize a "friendly" taking of a fee interest to 33.5 acres of land as permanent open space(the owner signed a confirmatory deed on April 28, 2005). The project was done in partnership with the Broad Brook Coalition, a local non-profit conservation organization. ADVANCE SOUND WATER POLICY (14)Existing Commit 20 Water resource plans: Source Water Protection, Water Conservation, or Comprehensive Wastewater (5)(2) FISCAL YEAR 2006 COMMONWEALTH CAPITAL APPLICATION - PDF Created On 11/1/2005 Original Application Municipality: NORTHAMPTON Address: 210 Main Street, Room 11, Northampton, MA 01060 Date: 10/31/2005 10:04:00 AM Name/Title: Wayne Feiden Director of Planning and Development Email: WFeiden@NorthamptonMA.gov Phone: 413-587-1265 Municipal applicants to the Commonwealth Capital programs will need to provide evidence of having met or made a binding commitment to the following sustainable development critera. Supporting File: - water conservation plan.pdf. The City's Department of Public Works does extensive water source protection planning with a full time water supply planner. Our DPW does not want to release their source protection documents because of 9-11 security concerns. We also have a water conservation plan (attached) which is dated before the date in the Commonwealth Capital program for credit for such plans. This plan is reviewed since 2000 and is still our active plan, and as such we believe qualifies for points under this section. In addition, the city provides water source protection through active land ownership and management of a large percentage of our drinking water reservoirs and acquifers and the source protection planning discussed earlier 21 Water resource protection measures: zoning, enterprise accounts, stormwater or LID bylaw/ordinance, or other innovative measures (5)(2) Supporting File: - Stormwater%20mgmt%20ordinance.pdf. The portions of our water supply within the City are protected through section 16 of our zoning. In addition, the city has a stormwater protection ordinance (attached). 22 Water conservation actions consistent with the state’s Water Conservation Standards (4)(1) Supporting File: - water conservation ordinance.pdf. The city's water supply conservation and restriction of water use provides a mandatory water ban as needed. SUSTAIN WORKING NATURAL LANDSCAPES (12)Existing Commit 23 Existence of an agricultural commission (3)(1) Supporting File: - Farm Ordinance 10_27_05.doc. Draft agriculture commission and right to farm ordinance going to final public discussion with the farm community in November and to City Council in January 2006. 24 Approved stewardship plan for a municipal forest (2)(1) Commonwealth Capital shows the city having an approved stewardship plan. 25 Bylaw/ordinance affirming the right to farm (4)(2) Supporting File: - Farm Ordinance 10_27_05.doc. Draft agriculture commission and right to farm ordinance going to final public discussion with the farm community in November and to City Council in January 2006. 26 Zoning for agricultural and/or forestry preservation (3)(2) Our Special Conservancy zoning, section 5.2 and section 13, prohibits new development, except for improvements to existing buildings, in an area that contains approximately 2,300 acres of farmland, thereby preserving that farmland as the highest and best use possible. Our Farms, Forests, and Rivers overlay, zoning section 5.2 and 19.0, which includes 320 acres of farmland, limits all lots within the overlay to one new home per existing lot, thereby preserving most of the land for agriculture. PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT VIA OTHER ACTIONS (10)Existing Commit 27 Existence of or commitment to local measures or actions (2)(0) (4)(0) (6)(0) (8)(0) (10)(0) FISCAL YEAR 2006 COMMONWEALTH CAPITAL APPLICATION - PDF Created On 11/1/2005 Original Application Municipality: NORTHAMPTON Address: 210 Main Street, Room 11, Northampton, MA 01060 Date: 10/31/2005 10:04:00 AM Name/Title: Wayne Feiden Director of Planning and Development Email: WFeiden@NorthamptonMA.gov Phone: 413-587-1265 Municipal applicants to the Commonwealth Capital programs will need to provide evidence of having met or made a binding commitment to the following sustainable development critera. In addition to the above, Northampton has undertaken other activities to encourage sustainable development and smart growth: • Northampton is committed to planning regionally. The Mayor’s office actively participates in economic development planning with the regional Plan for Progress effort and other regional efforts. The Office of Planning and Development actively participates in regional land use and transportation planning with the regional planning agency, the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission. The Mayor serves on several regional planning efforts, as does the city’s economic development coordinator and Director of Planning and Development. • Northampton works to provide sustainable businesses by providing business assistance to all business sectors, with a special focus on manufacturing, technology/new media/publishing clusters, and assistance for businesses run by or serving low and moderate income residents. • Northampton has invested significant economic development funds and staff, board, and regulatory support to provide new and retained job opportunities, infill within our existing commercial areas, infill within our industrial park, and redevelopment of the Northampton State Hospital, located at the edge of downtown, into a mixed use village. • Northampton is working to expand bicycle and non-motorized transportation options: o Currently we have a three mile rail trail. o Two additional miles of rail trail will be constructed in FY2006. o Five additional miles of rail trails is currently under design, which will allow the linking of the urban centers of Northampton, Florence, Leeds, Haydenville, Easthampton, Hadley, and Amherst on one continuous trail network. o We have installed approximately three miles of bicycle lanes. o We have installed 60 bike racks on our streets, especially downtown. o We are currently installing an additional 38 bike racks. o We installed 6 bicycle lockers at a park-and-ride and park-and-express bus stop. o We installed a large downtown bicycle locker for city employees. • Northampton is working to expand transit choice. Currently 9 transit routes operate in Northampton. We are working on improving stops, especially at transfer points and downtown, improve transit signage, and install new bus shelters. • We have installed a park-and-ride lot at an express transit bus stop to encourage car pools and transit. • Northampton is working on many projects to increase transportation choice by investments in infrastructure to address this important issue. One of our current examples is working on the design of two intersections, that had been planned for signals, to see if they can use roundabouts instead. Roundabouts have been shown to increase safety, reduce energy consumption and improve traffic flow. • Northampton has a multi-disciplinary transportation commission that is composed of individuals representing diverse city needs, including police, DPW, Planning, City Council, Parking, and the public. The transportation commission also has a standing bike and pedestrian subcommittee to ensure that these modes of transport are integrated into city planning. • Northampton is committed to expanding housing opportunities, especially through the work of the Mayor, the Office of Planning and Development, and our citizen Housing Partnership. The City owns a homeless shelter and, using CDBG funds, supports the operation of both that shelter and two other homeless shelters within the city. The City also serves as the coordinating agency for a the Three-County Continuum of Care to provide coordinated services for homeless in Hampshire, Franklin, and Hampden Counties (excluding Springfield, which has its own effort). The City funds an SRO outreach coordinator and has provided capital funding for three homeless shelters and two SROs. • The City is a leader in recycling and energy efficiency initiatives that help to conserve our natural resources. Examples of recycling efforts include: o The appointment of a recycling coordinator for the city, o The placement of recycling bins downtown next to public trash cans, o And a cooperative compost arrangement between local businesses and the Smith Vocational Agricultural High School. Examples of the city’s efforts to reduce energy consumption through energy efficiency, include: o The creation of an energy resource committee, o Plans to harness energy from a regional landfill by capturing the methane gas that is a byproduct of waste decomposition, o And the creation of an energy-efficiency revolving fund as the result of financial savings from increasing the energy efficiency of our high school. • With strong city support, our community residents have signed up for the "green-up" clean energy option in larger numbers than any other community in the state. • We recently were one of six communities in the country to participate in the American Institute of Architects Sustainable Design Assessment Team, whereby our community was assessed for our sustainability efforts and the AIA SDAT provided us with recommendations for future steps. • We have just kicked off our Sustainable Northampton comprehensive planning process, which began with the AIA SDAT visit, which will be a comprehensive plan with a sustainability focus. BONUS - 1 POINT FOR EVERY FISCAL YEAR 2005 COMMITMENT IMPLEMENTED: 1 TOTAL: EXISTING, COMMIT AND BONUS POINTS (MAXIMUM 140) Total Requested Score: 123