Exhibit A (2)
January 7, 2020
Hawley Street Residential Development
Northampton, MA
CBAC Project Narrative
This project, located at 10 Hawley St, comprises the construction of 23 new, market rate owner-
occupied townhouse units on property currently owned by the Roman Catholic Bishop of Springfield.
Final sale of the property is contingent upon the developer receiving all required permits from the City
of Northampton. To Date, the project has received the necessary site plan, special permit and storm
water permits and was successful in its request for findings from the Zoning Board of Appeals.
The proposed development requires the demolition of an existing rectory, a wood framed two-car
garage, and a parish hall. The church, St. John Cantius, will remain, and the developer is currently
exploring options for the adaptive re-use of the building. None of the buildings on the site are included
in the Historic Register or are restricted in terms of demolition, however the church is a notable
structure in the neighborhood and the goal is to find a way to eventually redevelop it.
The project site is a transitional slice of land in the Central Business District that extends north-east into
the URC zone. The CB zone along this section of Hawley St. includes the post office parking lot to the
north property line, two, 2 and 3 story brick theme buildings across the street, and residential uses along
the south and west boundaries. St. John Cantius holds the corner on Philips Place and sits between the
proposed townhouses and the URC zone to the south. This parcel was re-zoned from URC to CB by the
City several years ago.
The URC zone is made up of predominantly of wood framed one and two-family houses that include a
mix of traditional Colonial and Victorian architecture. The proposed 10 Hawley Street project is part of
the commercial and residential fabric of Northampton and provides a visual buffer and architectural
definition to the neighborhood as it straddles the line between the bustling CB Zone and the residential
character of the URC neighborhood.
The 23 proposed townhouses are grouped into 5 buildings of 4 units, and one building of 3 three units.
The buildings extend in a line north-east from Hawley Street, following the grade up the site to a level
area where the parish hall currently sits. There are no parking requirements in the CB zone, however
this project provides an average of 1.5 spaces per dwelling with parking accommodated in garages on
the ground floor level of each home. The townhouses are accessed by a two-way driveway that leads
north-east from Hawley St. and then south where it becomes one-way, accessed from Philips Place.
The layout of the driveway is designed to accommodate the city’s largest fire truck with roll over curb
shoulders that also serve as pedestrian walkways.
The architecture of the development draws from the historic nature of the existing residential
neighborhood without directly imitating it. The building forms and materials are familiar yet respond to
a progressive sensibility in residential design with open floor plans and generous natural daylight.
Exterior cladding materials will be durable fiber cement and composite trim that emulate traditional
clapboard and board and batten siding.
The long and narrow geometry of the site allows room for a single 40-foot length of building façade
along Hawley Street. This end unit includes a business-use occupancy on the first floor to satisfy the
Central Business District zoning requirements. The end elevation of this unit is designed to face the
street with its front door, accentuated and protected by a second-floor balcony for scale and balance.
As one approaches from Bridge Street, this building form signals the transition from the downtown
business center to a residential neighborhood.
Each home is entered by a primary entrance and a garage and on the first floor. The first floor includes a
flexible room that opens onto a backyard garden and can function as a guest room, home office or
secondary living area. The main living level is on the second floor with an open living, kitchen, dining
configuration. The third floor has two bedrooms and bathrooms. The backyard garden serves both as a
private retreat, and a spatial buffer to the neighbors. The average living area of each unit is roughly
2,000 SF with a 400 SF garage.
With the landscape buffer and other Zoning Board findings, the project meets all the requirements of
the Central Business District, including height, parking, density, and setbacks.