11A-002 public comment by edward melillo6/22/23, 4:43 PM City of Northampton Mail - Public comment on "Request for Site Plan Approval -- Affordable Housing based on zoning ordinance 3…
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Nathan Chung <nchung@northamptonma.gov>
Public comment on "Request for Site Plan Approval -- Affordable Housing based on
zoning ordinance 350-6.12 with two-family by the City of Northampton at Evergreen
Rd, Leeds, Map ID 11A-002."
Edward Melillo <emelillo@amherst.edu>Thu, Jun 22, 2023 at 2:59 PM
To: "nchung@northamptonma.gov" <nchung@northamptonma.gov>
To Whom It May Concern:
I am writing to comment on the "Request for Site Plan Approval -- Affordable Housing based on zoning ordinance
350-6.12 with two-family by the City of Northampton at Evergreen Rd, Leeds, Map ID 11A-002."
I am the property owner of 48 Chestnut Ave. Ext., which abuts the parcel in question. Building a two-family dwelling
on a .1-acre, non-rectangular, sloping plot will completely block the afternoon sunlight to my property and will nullify my
family's plans to build a backyard garden. The local children (including my own and my neighbors') who currently use the
lot for outdoor play and winter sledding will no longer be able to do so. Likewise, the deer, rabbits, and other animals that
move through the lot to the forest behind it will be deprived of this migratory pathway between the homes on Evergreen
Street.
When I bought my property in June 2021, I was not informed by either the selling agent or my own real estate agent
that the empty lot behind my house might be developed. Both of them assured me that it was open-space land used for
the town's water works and would not be built upon.
I never received any notice--in writing or otherwise--from the city to the contrary. In fact, the first official
correspondence from the City of Northampton on this matter is the postcard sent to me on June 10th notifying me about
this evening's hearing. The notification was sent too late for me to make childcare plans so that I can attend the hearing
virtually.
After finding out from my neighbors a few months ago about the proposed plans for the lot, I corresponded with
Sarah I. LaValley, the Northampton Conservation and Preservation Planner. She informed me that "The City Council
voted to surplus this property for affordable housing purposes only in July of 2021." I never received any notice of this
vote, nor was I given any chance to comment on the proposed repurposing of the land.
I have contacted a real estate attorney with whom I am currently working to explore my options.
Sincerely,
Dr. Edward D. Melillo
--
Edward D. Melillo
William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of History and Environmental Studies
Chair, Environmental Studies Department
Amherst College
103 Beneski Building
PO Box: AC# 2238
Amherst, MA 01002-5000
Phone: (413) 542-5415
Fax: (413) 542-8119
E-mail: emelillo@amherst.edu
Website: https://www.amherst.edu/people/facstaff/emelillo
The Butterfly Effect: Insects and the Making of the Modern World:
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/557206/the-butterfly-effect-by-edward-d-melillo/