Loading...
CAC Minutes.10-25-06NORTHAMPTON STATE HOSPITAL CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE c/o Mayor’s Office 210 Main Street Room 12 Northampton, MA 01060-3199 (413) 587-1249 Fax: (413) 587-1275 mayor@northamptonma.gov State Senator Stan Rosenberg Ex-Officio State Representative Peter Kocot Ex-Officio ___________________________ Mary Clare Higgins, Mayor City of Northampton David Narkewicz City Council David Modzelewski Department of Mental Health Reverend R. Leroy Moser National Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Western Mass., Inc. Rutherford H. Platt National Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Western Mass., Inc. Edward Skroski Northampton Development Corporation Charles DeRose Northampton Development Corporation Daniel Yacuzzo Northampton Chamber of Commerce Bruce Fogel, Esq. Northampton Chamber of Commerce Robert Starr Northampton Labor Council John W. Hornor Northampton Housing Partnership Francis A. Johnson Northampton Planning Board Christopher Kennedy Historical Preservation Joseph Blumenthal Route 66 Neighborhood Representative Harriet Diamond Grove Street Neighborhood Representative Jami Albro-Fisher Route 10 Neighborhood Representative MEETING MINUTES Citizens Advisory Committee for the Northampton State Hospital Wednesday, October 25, 2006 5:15 pm John F. Kennedy Middle School Community Room Present: Members of the CAC (Absences: Mayor Clare Higgins, Rev. Leroy Moser, Charles DeRose, Edward Skroski, Frandy Johnson, Jami Albro-Fisher, Daniel Yacuzzo, Robert Starr) Teri Anderson, City’s Economic Development Coordinator Wayne Feiden, City’s Planning Director George Kohout, Planning Board Barbara Blumenthal, Northampton Historical Commission Beth Murphy, Vice Pres. Real Estate Devel., MassDevelopment Thomas Kegelman, The Community Builders 1. Call to order Chair David Narkewicz called the meeting to order at 5:25 p.m. Approval of Minutes The minutes of the July 26, 2006 meeting were approved unanimously. Project Update: Next housing development phase ~ Tom Kegelman, The Community Builders Tom Kegelman displayed the project map, with the road delineated. According to Berkshire Engineering, responsible for the preliminary and the definitive subdivision plans, construction will begin in the spring. Timetable: Next week the preliminary plan is submitted. 35 days for approval. Then submit definitive subdivision plan, with 60-75 day approval period. It will take a few weeks to get bid packets out; few more weeks for bidders to respond; a few additional weeks to secure construction loans. It could be as late as May for this very small number of roads to begin, with 4 months total for construction. Rutherford Platt, CAC: How many housing units will there be and what is the price range? Tom Kegelman, The Community Builders: Based the recommendation of our market survey: (a ) single family detached houses 2200 square feet units on small lots under 2000 square foot bungalow types 1000-1200 square foot cottages (b ) townhouses/row houses condominiums with 2 storeys and garage start at $240,000 range from 700 sq. ft 1 bedroom to 1500 sq. ft 3 bedrooms Other option: row houses on top of flats, wheelchair accessible (c ) Multi-family units, like large single-family homes with Victorian façade along Elm Street. Affordable units will be 70% of median (which is $50K for family of 4): about $160K. 25% of for sale units will be affordable. Teri Anderson, Economic Development Coordinator: The City’s public meetings on Sustainable Northampton point to the $150K-200K as the most needed range of housing. Rutherford Platt, CAC: Soundproofing between floors will be very important, as will be soundproofing between units. Tom Kegelman, The Community Builders: Most townhouses are detached. For the up and down residences we use a design approach; for example, do not place a heavy use kitchen above a bedroom. Chris Kennedy, CAC: What style will the bungalows and cottages be, turn of the century arts and crafts cottage? Tom Kegelman: We’ve hired an architect for this. It will be mostly Victorian style but there may be more variety. George Kohout, Planning Board: What will happen to the coach house, in the upper left corner of the map? Tom Kegelman: That is designated for commercial development. We have been talking about using it as a sales office and possible community center. It is an attractive building in a great central location. Jack Hornor, CAC: What is the time frame for the roads? Tom Kegelman, The Community Builders: In mid spring we go out to bid and get permitted. Construction should be finished by late summer. Meanwhile, we hope to begin construction along existing roads. Rutherford Platt, CAC: Will any preference be given to those whose lives have been touched by mental health episodes? Tom Kegelman: Yes, in rental units. But there is no way to prefer someone in the way you’re describing when a subsidy source is involved. David Modzelewski, CAC: We have an understanding with the developer for a percentage of units for clients of the Department of Mental Health. One-bedroom units were preferred and those in Phase One have been filled; there are 12 in Phase Two. Rutherford Platt: Many people have had mental health issues and are medicated, but are good credit risks to get a mortgage as long as mortgage competition is not too frenzied. David Modzelewski: The Department of Mental Health is struggling with H.U.D.’s arcane regulations regarding “preferential treatment” for housing subsidies. Bruce Fogel, Esq., CAC: What is the total number of housing units? Tom Kegelman, The Community Builders: 100-150 out of 270 total residential. Bruce Fogel, Esq.: Please define the word “subsidy” that you keep referencing. Tom Kegelman: A few times a year the State offers subsidies to a developer who becomes the subsidy holder. A subsidy is essentially a buy down on a 2nd mortgage. David Modzelewski, CAC: What is the commercial part of the commercial/residential mix? Tom Kegelman: Mainly retail, such things as a dry cleaner, ATM, convenience store, a Mailboxes, Etc. type store. The goal is to make this section an attractive and convenient live/work area. We’re also aiming for WIFI hookup. Harriet Diamond, CAC: What percentage of the housing will have been constructed in the Old Main area? Tom Kegelman, The Community Builders: Nearly full buildout. Harriet Diamond: The heavier housing concentration seems to be distributed toward the front of the site. What is slated for the rear area? Wayne Feiden, Director of Planning and Development: Three regulatory processes govern the site: MEPA, subdivision and zoning. The City probably will revisit the zoning in accordance with Chapter 40R smart growth overlay, just passed by the State to encourage density. The State gives a one-time payment to any city that adopts 40R smart growth zoning and housing production statute. Everything shown by Tom Kegelman on the map may be done under present City of Northampton zoning and under 40R. Harriet Diamond: 40R encourages density to encourage open space elsewhere. Does that mean the top area of the site will remain open space? Wayne Feiden: Your definition is not exactly correct. Chapter 40R’s concern is to have density in walkable areas. The City wishes to adopt 40R now for exactly the footprint shown by Tom on the map. In the future we will move within the Sustainable Northampton process. Rutherford Platt, CAC: Where are these 40R funds earmarked? Wayne Feiden: I believe capital improvements. Jack Hornor, CAC: Did I just hear that the number of housing units might rise? Is 207 units still the cap? Tom Kegelman, The Community Builders: Yes, 207. Wayne Feiden, Director of Planning and Development: Planning Board has been on record for four years as supporting more housing. This view is backed up by community input at every Sustainable Northampton public session. Harriet Diamond, CAC: Aren’t we clustering all units in one area on the north campus? This definitely is a change and goes toward circumventing the City’s Master Plan. Tom Kegelman: This part of the site was always the denser area. We’ve made it somewhat more sense. Harriet Diamond: As the saying goes, nature abhors a vacuum. Empty space surely will be filled in later. Wayne Feiden: Planning Board members and Planning Department staffers think it better to have units where they are configured now, in the dense and walkable area. A seemingly small amount of frontage makes all the difference between walking and nobody walking in an area. Joseph Blumenthal, CAC: One of this project’s great strengths is the variability and diversity of the types of units. I hear the developer say we are deferring plans for the back area. I hear Wayne talk about new zoning. This is very much a change. I hear that someday the top half will be as dense as the bottom. I hear that someday there will be more than 207 housing units. I am now on record that there will be opposition if these changes are acted upon. Harriet Diamond: Just opening up the topic of more density goes around the process by which the whole plan was sold to the neighborhoods. Through public input there was agreement about the number of units, the number of commercial square footage, and traffic. I find circumventing all this disingenuous. Wayne Feiden: Zoning does not have a cap on the number of housing units, but the Master Plan does. Jack Hornor: I am surprised to feel tonight that the Master Plan is being changed. Tom Kegelman, The Community Builders: We are trying to anticipate more density and an increase in the number of units. Wayne Feiden: None of these changes being discussed tonight changes the Master Plan. Teri Anderson, Economic Development Coordinator: Yes, this is different than what you have heard before. It is based on an evolving conversation in the Sustainable Northampton process. There is much community support for increased density in the logical place of downtown. After all the public discussion, if a zoning change is proposed, it does require an official change to the Master Plan, with the approval of the Citizens Advisory Committee. Harriet Diamond, CAC: Once you build houses in this dense cluster, you increase de facto the number of units; you are begging that undeveloped space to be built. Jack Hornor, CAC: As the affordable housing representative to the C.A.C., I am surprised to hear talk tonight of increasing the number of housing units. We are having so much trouble still, for many understandable reasons, in developing the commercial component. Teri Anderson: Once we allow for necessary parking, landscaping and design, more commercial use does not fit. Jack Hornor: The commercial side was intended to sustain the housing element. Joseph Blumenthal, CAC: Even though you say that no change is proposed, some of us are hearing that changes to this plan are coming. We are hearing that we will be asked to approve in future a proposal for denser housing. Do not assume that changes will be agreed to. Do not assume that ideas put forward by the Sustainable Northampton group represent the entire community’s preferences. Tom Kegelman, The Community Builders: We want to keep moving forward in accordance with the Master Plan but perhaps with slightly increased density. There will be many opportunities for discussion. Bruce Fogel, Esq., CAC: For our next meeting we need a more clearly delineated layout of the plan we had been asked to approve and then what we are discussing now. What changes are being proposed and what are the reasons? Project Update: $7 million grant & demolition of Main Complex ~ Beth Murphy, MassDevelopment Beth Murphy shared the good news: Governor Romney signed on September 7, 2006 the bill that included $7 million for project demolition costs. Although still one million dollars short, Beth described demolition finances as the best they’ve ever been. When she began work on the project, we were off by $18 million. She displayed a schema of Old Main complex asbestos abatement. Demolition and asbestos abatement are expected to be completed by the end of summer. S&R did a great job of the demolition, with no unanticipated conditions. Project Update: Earle St. design & Village Hill Road acceptance ~ Beth Murphy, MassDevelopment A public hearing having taken place in August 2006, Vanasse & Associates (transportation engineers) will give its design to Mass. Highway Dept. for bid. MassDevelopment will ask that Village Hill Road be accepted by the City as a public way. Memorialization Memorialization Subcommittee: Barbara Blumenthal from Historical Commission; Chris Kennedy as Historical Commission’s representative on the C.A.C., and C.A.C. members Jack Hornor, Joe Blumenthal, Harriet Diamond and David Modzelewski. 6 people spoke at the first listening session; we need more input at the November 14 meeting, 7:00-9:00 p.m. at the Haskell Building. Please help get the word out. Bench ribbon cutting Rededication of the Northampton State Hospital burial grounds and replacement of the 1959 memorial bench: Saturday, October 28, 2006 at 2:00 p.m. Park at the dog-walking parking lot. If it rains, there will be a brief convocation at the bench and then the ceremony moves to the Haskell Building. Next meeting CAC members’ desire for more information about housing units/40R necessitates another meeting sooner than the next regularly scheduled quarterly meeting: Therefore, the next meeting will be: Wednesday, December 6, 2006 7:00 p.m. J. F. Kennedy Middle School Community Room 100 Bridge Road Florence MA 01062 Adjournment Moved, seconded, and voted unanimously in the affirmative. The meeting adjourned at 7:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Corinne Philippides Mayoral Aide November 8, 2006 \\rackserver\Mayor\Cpilippides\CP docs\State Hospital\CAC MINUTES\2006\CAC Minutes.10-25-06.doc 5