21.360 Community Preservation Committee Cover Letter
City of Northampton
Community Preservation Committee
210 Main Street, City Hall
Northampton, MA 01060
November 23, 2021
Gina-Louise Sciarra
City Council President
210 Main Street, Room 16
Northampton, MA 01060
Re: Community Preservation Committee Recommendations for Funding, Autumn 2021
President Sciarra and City Councilors,
In September 2021, the Community Preservation Committee (CPC) began reviewing project
proposals submitted for Community Preservation Act (CPA) funding consideration. After
extensive review including applicant presentations, site visits, public comment sessions and
deliberation, the CPC voted to recommend 10 funding requests totaling $1,392,322, representing
all CPA project area: historic preservation, recreation, affordable housing, and open space
preservation. The second round of FY22 funding will start in January.
The CPC encourages Councilors and the public to visit
http://archive.northamptonma.gov/WebLink/Browse.aspx?id=718511&dbid=0&repo=CityOf
Northampton&cr=1
to view the full applications submitted for each project funded this round. Meeting minutes, the
City’s Community Preservation Plan, information about the CPA, financial documents and other
project materials can be accessed on the CPC’s webpage:
www.northamptonma.gov/1048/Community-Preservation-Committee
Please do not hesitate to contact myself, or Preservation Planner Sarah LaValley with any
questions about the projects, the Committee’s recommendations, or if additional information is
needed.
Projects Recommended for Funding:
Rocky Hill Trails, Office of Planning & Sustainability, $100,000
CPA funds will be used to create an accessible soft-surface loop trail at the Pine Grove section of
the Rocky Hill Greenway.
Priority Open Space Acquisitions, Conservation Commission, $228,301
CPA funds will be used to permanently protect three open space parcels totaling 64 acres. 46
acres in the Mineral Hills, 5.2 acres in the Parsons Brook Greenway, and 13 acres in the Saw Mill
Hills. These acquisitions will add to existing protected Greenways and provide wildlife habitat,
riparian and trail connection, and educational and recreational opportunities
Connecticut River Walkway, Office of Planning & Sustainability, $70,000
The project will create an accessible trail connection to the beach at the Connecticut River
Greenway on Damon Road, for swimming, river access, fishing, and boat launching. CPA funds
will match an existing state grant.
Farmland Reclamation, Grow Food Northampton, $20,000
CPA funds will allow Grow Food Northampton to create additional community garden plots,
edible hedgerows, and reclaim farm field edges. The area is protected by an Agricultural
Preservation Restriction and was conserved in part using CPA funds.
Critical Exterior Repairs, Michelson Galleries, $82,900
CPA funds will be used as a match for state historic grant funds to complete critical exterior
work to the façade of the 1913 Northampton National Bank Building at 132 Main Street; part of
the Downtown National Register District. The recommendation represents the difference
between a simple repair to make the facade and a full restoration to meet the Secretary of the
Interior's Standards for the treatment of historic properties
Shepherd Barn Artifact Preservation, Historic Northampton, $31,922
CPA funds will allow Historic Northampton to restore 50 larger artifacts – business signs,
sleighs, tools and weathervanes that will be installed in the Shepherd Barn, and will become
publicly available for the first time in 30 years.
Housing the Disabled Homeless, Independent Housing Solutions, $608,000
CPA funds will be used to help create a supportive but independent housing facility for 16
medically complex and chronically homeless individuals at 5 Franklin Street. CPA funds will be
utilized to convert the building to serve residential needs
Outdoor Pickleball Feasibility, Parks and Recreation, $13,000
CPA funds will be used to hire a landscape and engineering consultant to evaluate existing city-
owner sites and recommend five possible locations to create a six-court pickleball facility for
public use.
Mortgage Subsidy Program, Valley Community Development Corporation: $230,100
CPA funds will be used to provide four $50,000 down payment / closing cost assistance loans to
allow low moderate income first time homebuyers purchase homes in Northampton. These will
help close the gap between typical home prices and the amount of housing debt than a low or
moderate income household can support and create homeownership opportunities.
Invasive Species Removal, Lathrop Communities, $3,000
These funds will allow Lathrop Communities to continue to continue invasive plant removal and
along Bassett Brook on their Florence Road campus and at the North Campus on Bridge Road,
to promote native habitats. The City holds conservation restrictions on both properties, and
public access is allowed.
Thank you,
Brian Adams
Chair, City of Northampton Community Preservation Committee