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Comprehensive p lan, January 2008
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive PlanTable of Contents
The Process .....................................................................................................................................1
The Sustainable Northampton Steering Committee.........................................................................2
The Financial Contributors ............................................................................................................3
The Approach .................................................................................................................................4
The Vision .......................................................................................................................................5
The Guiding Principles ..................................................................................................................6
The Future Land Use Map .............................................................................................................7
The Elements, Actions and Measures of Success ..........................................................................9
Land Use and Development ..................................................................................................11
Energy, Environment and Climate Protection .....................................................................17
Open Space and Recreation ..................................................................................................27
Economic Development.........................................................................................................29
Arts and Culture .....................................................................................................................37
Heritage Resources ................................................................................................................41
Housing ...................................................................................................................................39
Infrastructure and Capital Resources ...................................................................................45
Transportation ........................................................................................................................47
Municipal Governance and Financial Stability .....................................................................57
Education ................................................................................................................................59
Social Equity ...........................................................................................................................63
Appendix A: Potential Regulatory Actions ..................................................................................67
Appendix B: Survey Results ..........................................................................................................71
Glossary of Terms ..........................................................................................................................81
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive Plan
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive PlanThe Process
Sustainable Northampton is based upon in-
formation drawn from public forums, focus
groups, surveys, and from previous com-
munity plans over a 28-month community
planning process. In June 2005, Mayor Mary
Clare Higgins initiated a comprehensive
planning process with a sustainability focus.
A Steering Committee was established to
oversee and guide the plan consisting of rep-
resentatives from City boards, City staff, and
community groups. Public grants and pri-
vate donations were received to launch the
Sustainable Northampton planning process.
Research and Public Participation Process
The following organizations and documents
helped form the plan:
• American Institute of Architects – Sus-
tainable Design Assessment Team
(SDAT) led a public input process and
prepared a document including an as-
sessment of current conditions, a vision
for a sustainable future, and recom-
mended strategies.
• Pioneer Valley Planning Commission re-
searched and analyzed sustainable com-
munity indicators.
• Donahue Institute (University of Massa-
chusetts) collected economic data.
• Vanesse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. prepared
a briefing paper on form-based zoning.
• Edith M. Netter & Associates assisted in
the preparation of a new transfer of de-
velopment rights and inclusionary hous-
ing zoning ordinance.
In March and April of 2006, the City held
nine focus groups and neighborhood meet-
ings, with the assistance of Walter Cudnohof-
sky Associates, to obtain public input on the
following questions:
• Characteristics and community values
that should guide Northampton;
• Social, economic, and/or physical
changes that have most affected the
community;
• Areas of conflict among various goals
and visions for a sustainable Northamp-
ton;
• Key areas of concern
around sustainability;
and,
• Key actions, policies,
or infrastructure im-
provements needed
to support a sustain-
able vision.
In January 2006, the City
distributed a survey to ev-
ery household via the an-
nual census resulting in over 3,000 respons-
es. Those responses have been collated and
summarized in charts and tables and are in-
cluded in the appendix of this document.
In the Fall of 2006, the City held two “did we
get it right” workshops, with the assistance
of Walter Cudnohofsky Associates, to ensure
that the community had a chance to com-
ment on the summary of the focus group
meetings.
In mid-2007, the Steering Committee used
the assistance of The Cecil Group to:
• Synthesize all of the community input,
data, and previous plans into a compre-
hensive plan;
•· Add the Vision, Guiding Principles, and
Measurements of Progress/Metrics;
• Hold public workshops for presentation
of the drafts to the community; and,
• Prepare the final plan for adoption by
the Planning Board and City Council.
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive PlanThe Sustainable Northampton Steering Committee
The following individuals have provided
their time over the course of this planning
effort as the Sustainable Northampton Steering
Committee:
Mayor Clare Higgins
City Council
Michael R. Bardsley, President
Marilyn Richards, Ward 3
Marianne LaBarge, Ward 6
Arts Council
Elizabeth Stone
Board of Public Works
Robert Reckman, Chair
Board of Health
Xanthi Scrimgeour
Conservation Commission
John Body
Housing Partnership
Martha Acklesburg, Chair
Planning Board
Francis Johnson, Chair
Kenneth Jodrie
Paul Voss
School Committee
Katherine Foote-Newman
Transportation and Parking Commission
Leslie Stein
Tree Committee, Leeds Civic Association
Deb Jacobs
Youth Commission
Owen Hooks-Davis
Hannah McQuillan
Zoning Board of Appeals
Elizabeth Wroblicka
Bay State Village Association
Jan Sniffen
Smith College
Laurie Fenlason
Tom Litwin
Casa Latina
Eneida Garcia
Lillian Torres
Center for Ecological Technology
Peggy MacLeod
Cooley Dickinson Hospital
Richard Corder, Vice President-Guest
Services
Northampton Center for the Arts
Ann Shanahan
Northampton Chamber of Commerce
Suzanne Beck, Director
Dennis Bidwell, Economic Development
Committee, Chair
Pioneer Valley Planning Commission
Catherine Miller, Principal Planner
Valley Community Development Corporation
Joanne Campbell, Executive Director
Western Massachusetts American Institute
of Architects
Erica Gees
Building
Anthony Patillo, Building Commissioner
Mayor’s Office of Economic Development
Teri Anderson, Economic Development
Coordinator
Office of Planning and Development
Wayne Feiden, Director
Carolyn Misch, Senior Land Use Planner
Recreation Department
Ann-Marie Moggio, Director
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive PlanThe City of Northampton would like to thank
the following organizations for their support
of this plan:
• American Institute of Architects
• Massachusetts Department of Housing
and Community Development
• Greater Northampton Area Chamber of
Commerce
• Smith College
• Bay State Gas
• National Grid
• MassDevelopment
• City of Northampton
The Financial Contributors
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive PlanThe Approach
Northampton has developed—over many
months and with input from a wide array of
constituencies—a vision for its future as well
the goals, principles and strategies required
to support and implement that vision. This
undertaking, called Sustainable Northampton,
is a comprehensive plan that seeks to ensure
the city can continue to meet its current and
ongoing environmental, social and econom-
ic needs without compromising the future
for succeeding generations.
The Sustainable Northampton Plan was de-
signed, in part, to fulfill the requirements
of Massachusetts General Law Chapter 41,
Section 81 D, for the development of mu-
nicipal comprehensive or master plans. The
comprehensive plan is designed to provide
a basis for decision-making regarding the
long-term physical development of the mu-
nicipality and requires Planning Board ap-
proval. Likewise, one purpose of the Zon-
ing Act (Massachusetts General Law Chapter
40A) and zoning adopted by communities
is to encourage the most appropriate use of
land, including consideration of the recom-
mendations in the comprehensive plan.
Finite resources, coupled with a significant
desire to better support a diverse and sus-
tainable community, require the city to make
choices about how best to use its natural, so-
cial, economic, and human resources. City
residents and elected officials recognize that
these choices are local decisions that will im-
pact the natural environment, the communi-
ty, and quality of life. This vision is intended
to guide Northampton’s role locally, region-
ally, and globally.
Sustainable Northampton commits the city to
becoming a model community for sustain-
able policies and practices.
The plan is intended in its most important
form as a plan of action for the next ten
years. However, there are several aspects that
cut across that time frame:
• Sustainability is a concept for ensuring
a high quality of life for future genera-
tions. Consequently, the plan projects
that these actions will provide benefits
far into the future.
• Some actions are continuations of re-
cent programs and require ongoing dili-
gence to maintain. Consequently, some
of these actions ‘flow through’ the plan.
• The metrics or measurements of prog-
ress are intended to be part of a yearly
report to inform the City how well this
plan is achieving these goals. Conse-
quently, the City will receive a report
card each year and every five years can
revisit the proposals in this plan and up-
date them to ensure the plan maintains
the course towards true sustainability.
The Sustainable Northampton Plan will be
reviewed on an annual basis utilizing a meth-
odology that will be developed in the next
9 – 12 months. The annual evaluation sys-
tem will be designed to enable a review of
the results for the metrics identified in the
plan. The results of the annual review will
be aligned with the operational and capital
budget goals for the following fiscal year.
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive PlanThe Northampton that its residents and visi-
tors love today is partly a product of conflu-
ences of geography, climate and larger New
England settlement patterns. But equally
important in shaping our community have
been the choices made by its leaders and
citizens in years past – conscious decisions
about when to invest in industry and com-
merce, where to encourage housing, how to
harness and protect natural resources, how
to create jobs, how to develop an educated
citizenry, how to welcome and support diver-
sity, how to provide for artistic and cultural
enrichment.
Now, in 2007, the residents of Northampton
have an opportunity to provide shape and
values to the way Northampton will grow and
change in the years ahead. We have the op-
tion of letting momentum and inertia shape
our future, resting on our laurels and our
numerous “Best Of” rankings. We also have
the option of critically examining what works
about Northampton and what could be im-
proved, consciously shaping a future that
takes into account the reality of a world of
resources – energy resources, environmental
resources, financial resources – under grow-
ing strain.
This comprehensive plan, the Sustainable
Northampton Plan, represents a decision by
its citizens to choose the second option – to
grow and change with a full understanding
of this generation’s responsibility to leave
behind a community that will not compro-
mise the ability of future generations to meet
their needs. This means learning to be smart-
er about how we use our resources, creatively
thinking about patterns of consumption and
usage.
In crafting a vision that will impact the natu-
ral environment and quality of life at many
levels, this plan is driven by concepts of so-
cial equity, economic and cultural vitality,
and environmental security. Bringing these
concepts alive will require a commitment by
Northampton’s citizens to:
• Leadership – locally and regionally - in
the advancement of sustainable practic-
es that manage land use for long-term
benefits, reduce dependency on nonre-
The Vision
newable fuels, reduce
consumption of re-
sources without off-
setting benefits, and
improve our impact
on the environment.
• Inclusiveness, toler-
ance and civic-mind-
edness by embracing
diversity and encour-
aging full participa-
tion in community conversations. It is as-
sumed that controversy and debate will
only further the discussion and result in
greater participation and ownership by
the community.
• Vibrancy as a city that supports the arts,
non-profit organizations, higher educa-
tion and businesses in an atmosphere
that allows growth and prosperity while
at the same time conserving our heri-
tage, natural resources, and history. We
will build on and celebrate our unique-
ness as a community and maintain the
quality of life that is a strength and com-
petitive advantage.
This vision of sustainability, and these com-
mitments to ourselves and to future genera-
tions, will be achieved by following a set of
Guiding Principles and enacting specific
strategies and actions. Success in shaping the
future envisioned by this plan can in many
instances be measured by comparing actual
performance with quantitative targets in-
cluded in the plan.
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive Plan• Support a diverse and integrated
community where all residents have
the opportunity to excel on a social, eco-
nomic, and academic level and to lead
healthy, independent and successful
lives;
• Act as a part of a broader region
through the resources connecting us
beyond our municipal borders, such as
watersheds, rivers, roads, economy, cul-
ture, or common goals;
• Significantly improve energy effi-
ciency in city buildings and programs,
reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and
encourage conservation and use of al-
ternative and renewable energy sources
throughout the community;
• Support a wide variety of
housing types that increase rental
and homeownership units to create and
preserve a range of affordability and
choice in housing options;
• Support artists and the arts, local
culture, history, and education at all lev-
els as vital to a successful, well-balanced
community;
• Connect municipal capital im-
provements directly to the goals
of Sustainable Northampton;
The Guiding Principles
• Adopt land use patterns that main-
tain a mix of urban and rural areas; con-
centrate development in neighborhood,
village, and commercial centers sup-
ported by adequate infrastructure, in-
cluding public transit; promote energy
efficiency; and protect environmental,
open space, and agricultural resources.
• Recognize and foster the unique
history, character and function
of each residential, commercial, mixed
use, and open space neighborhood.
• Recognize that a diverse and vi-
brant economy is integral to a suc-
cessful community and support business
and job development that contribute to
the community and the city’s long-term
sustainability;
• Make the city increasingly more
walkable, bikeable, and transit-
oriented;
• Improve citizens’ lives through con-
tinuous, high quality education; and,
• Operate the city as a democratic
enterprise that is responsive and re-
sponsible to the fiscal, economic, social,
and environmental interests of its citi-
zens.
Future Land Use Map
7Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive Plan SummaryThe Future Land Use Map is proposed to pro-
vide the City with a basis for making consistent
decisions on capital investments and land use
into the future. The Future Land Use Map is
adopted with this document. The Map may be
amended over time to ensure consistency and
to provide a measurement of success in the
completion of Sustainable Northampton.
The Future Land Use Map is not a prescrip-
tive regulatory document such as the Zoning
Map, which requires conformance for land
use and development. The Future Land Use
Map provides broad guidance for making de-
cisions on all city actions: programs, land use
decisions, regulations, and capital expendi-
tures. Zoning Map amendments may be an-
ticipated as one method of implementing the
Future Land Use Map and this Plan. The Fu-
ture Land Use Map must be flexible, but with
consistent use it will result in an accumulation
of decisions that support the City goals.
The Future Land Use Map shows:
• Concentration of traditional develop-
ment in the historically denser areas of
Downtown, Florence and Leeds;
• Low-density development in the water-
sheds. This plan will allow transfer of de-
velopment rights into the higher density
areas;
• Expansion of land for commercial/eco-
nomic development;
• Areas for continued preservation of agri-
culture and related uses.
Click here to see full-size plan online.
From 2000-2007, 365 new residential units
were constructed in the City: 51% were
constructed within the orange “traditional
neighborhood/receiving area” of the
map; and 49% were constructed in the
“Conservation Development” areas.
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive PlanFuture Land Use Areas
The following are descriptions of the areas
shown on the Future Land Use Map (see pre-
vious page).
Agriculture and Historically Compatible
Uses - This is primarily highly productive ag-
riculture land within the floodplain of Con-
necticut River and includes rich wildlife and
flora resources and historical commercial
and residential uses. In this area, expansion
of existing buildings and uses is encouraged,
acquisition of land in floodplain forests and
within the 10 year floodplain is prioritized,
but generally new non-agricultural develop-
ment is discouraged.
Conservation Development and Sending
Zone - These are outlying areas that gener-
ally have moderate to severe environmental
limitations, including water supply areas,
large intact forest ecosystems, rich wildlife
and flora resources, and critical scenic re-
sources. In these areas, conservation of land
is prioritized. Many areas are appropriate
for context sensitive development and open
space residential development designed to
be compatible with conservation purposes.
Mitigating traffic impacts and providing non-
vehicular transportation options that are cur-
rently in Traditional Neighborhoods is criti-
cal. There are opportunities to transfer the
right to develop parcels in this area to other
areas in the city that are more appropriate
for development.
Traditional Neighborhood and Receiving
Zone - These are currently the most devel-
oped areas with planned expansion of de-
velopable area to accommodate expected
demand for new growth. These areas can
accommodate the vast majority of new smart
growth residential development, but only
with design standards to ensure that new de-
velopment does not degrade the quality of
existing neighborhoods and mitigates traffic.
More focus on design details, encouraging
designs compatible with historic neighbor-
hoods, focus on pocket and linear parks and
on the quality of life generally are key ele-
ments for encouraging a population density
consistent with the highest quality neighbor-
hoods present 50 years ago. There are op-
portunities to accept the development rights
into these areas from Con-
servation Development
areas.
Mixed-Use Commercial
Center - These are the
current and proposed
commercial areas. In all
of these areas housing is
strongly encouraged, but
only above the first floor.
Mixed uses within the dis-
trict and often within buildings, is strongly
encouraged. Design details and pedestrian-
friendly development are most important.
Regulations should focus on design, mixed
use, street orientation, and mitigating traffic
impacts. Parking requirements, minimum
setbacks and traditional dimensional require-
ments are far less important in these areas.
Business, Industrial, Institutional, and Live-
Work - These are the areas that include tradi-
tional mill buildings along the Mill River and
other business and industrial areas which are
appropriate for mixed use. Residential use
should be allowed only as part of live-work
and artists space, where the primary use is
business but business owners and workers
may live on the premises. Design details,
mitigating traffic impacts, and sensitivity to
surrounding neighborhoods are the most
important development standards.
Business and Industrial (no residential) - These
are the traditional industrial/research/busi-
ness park sites that should be preserved for
business and industrial uses not compatible
with residential uses. Traffic mitigation, tran-
sit, and site plan requirements are important
in these areas.
0Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive PlanThe following section includes the Goals, Ob-
jectives and Actions proposed to accomplish
this Vision, followed by the Measurements
of Progress that will determine how well the
City succeeds in accomplishing the plan. The
sections are separated into twelve elements
identified in the public meetings:
• Land Use and Development
• Environment, Energy and Climate
Protection
• Open Space and Recreation
• Economic Development
• Arts and Culture
• Heritage Resources
• Housing
• Infrastructure and Capital
Resources
• Transportation
• Municipal Governance and
Financial Stability
• Education
• Social Equity
Each element includes the following sec-
tions:
• Goals – The goals are based on the result
of the public input process and form the
foundation of the plan;
• Objectives – More specific ideals by
which each goal will be achieved;
• Strategies and Actions – Steps that are
to be taken, with the responsible party
identified. The (P) before a listing indi-
cates it as a priority. The lead municipal
department will be further identified at
the time of implementation;
• Measurements of Progress – These are
the metrics to determine whether im-
provements are occurring, which can be
made as the report card on the results
of implementing the plan. The metrics
include targets that may be short-term,
or long-term but will be revisited every
five years with updates of the plan;
The Elements, Actions and Measures of Success
• Potential Conflicts and Potential Re-
sponses – Identification of where the dis-
cussion may have to proceed to resolve
the inevitable conflicts when using finite
resources to act on multiple, communi-
ty-wide programs.
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive PlanLand Use and Development
Goal LU-1: Direct changes and
improvements in accordance with
the Future Land Use Map
Objectives:
1. Ask for creative designs and cluster de-
velopments that allow higher density
to improve the yield of housing in the
downtown and village centers. Use the
downtown and more densely developed
areas to build high and medium density
housing (12 to 65 units/acre; see Density
Study prepared by the Office of Planning
and Development for illustrations).
2. Encourage mixed-use development in
both residential and commercial areas
such as Florence center, Village of Leeds,
Bay State, Hospital Hill and satellite com-
mercial areas with mixed uses that sup-
port both neighborhood residential and
local commercial needs and services
3. Before developing rural areas, and after
allowing for green space within densely
developed areas, encourage infill devel-
opment of vacant and underutilized land
in and around downtown and in existing
denser developed areas. This includes
places such as village centers or areas that
are currently zoned and targeted for de-
velopment, such as the Business Park.
4. Match the pace of new housing devel-
opment with the growth in capacities of
public infrastructure, public safety, pub-
lic health, and school services to support
the new populations.
5. Locate housing within walking distances
along safe paths, or with bicycle access,
to and from neighborhood commercial
areas, parks and recreation, schools, and
public transportation.
Strategies and Actions:
(P) Create a Rezoning Committee comprised
of officials and community representatives as
selected by the Mayor, City Council, and Plan-
ning Board. Task the Committee with rezon-
ing the City so that zoning is consistent with
the Sustainable Northampton and Future Land
Use Map. A listing of zoning changes to be
considered by the rezoning committee is in-
cluded in Appendix A of this Plan.
Responsible Agency: Plan-
ning Board, City Council,
Mayor
Ask the Transportation
Committee to review City
land use policies and the
land use plan against the
City’s transportation plan
and consider the impacts
of land use on the City’s
transportation system.
Responsible Agency: Transportation Committee,
Office of Planning and Development
Compare the City land use policies against the
Open Space and Recreation Plan recommen-
dations to identify priority open space areas
and resources that should be preserved.
Responsible Agency: Conservation Commission,
Recreation Commission, Community Preservation
Committee, Planning Board, Office of Planning
and Development
Provide an option for mediation in site plan
reviews to address neighborhood concerns.
Responsible Agency: Planning Board, Office of
Planning and Development, City Council, Eco-
nomic Development
Measurements of Progress:
Land Use
Metric: Amount of development, by number
of projects/building permits and floor space,
corresponding to the use designations of the
Future Land Use Map
Reporting Agencies: Building Department,
Office of Planning and Development, Eco-
nomic Development
Target: Conformance with the Future Land
Use Map
Responsibility for Target: City Council, Plan-
ning Board, Economic Development
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive PlanOpen Space Conservation
Metric: Amount of open space preserved and
conserved, by number of sites and area, cor-
responding to the use designations of the Fu-
ture Land Use Map
Reporting Agencies: Conservation Commis-
sion, Recreation Department, Office of Plan-
ning and Development
Target: Conformance with Future Land Use
Map
Responsibility for Target: City Council, Con-
servation Commission, Planning Board
Reform of Regulations
Metric: Adoption of zoning corresponding to
the Future Land Use Map
Reporting Agency: Office of Planning and De-
velopment
Target: Conformance with Future Land Use
Map
Responsibility for Target: City Council, Plan-
ning Board, Economic Development in busi-
ness zones, Rezoning Committee
Potential Conflicts:
• The need for infill and greater density of
downtown development, including reuse
of existing structures, could conflict with
the desire of many people to live in sin-
gle-family homes with yards and nearby
green space and aversion to more devel-
opment in their neighborhood.
• The desire for more businesses, jobs and
diverse housing options at a range of af-
fordability levels creates new develop-
ment that can conflict with the desire
to preserve open space, wildlife habitat,
wildlife corridors, and agriculture.
• People choose many different ways of liv-
ing, and many opt for large lots with pri-
vate open space. This can work against
the principals of smart growth and pres-
ervation of public open space.
Potential Responses:
• Because family life may be different now,
establish guidelines and performance
standards that allow new homes while
maintaining the special features and
qualities of different neighborhoods.
• Establish development agreements that
connect new infrastructure and mitiga-
tion with new development.
• Encourage cluster development that pro-
vides quality open space and reduces the
development footprint.
Goal LU-2: Create and preserve
high quality, built environments in
the downtown and village centers
Objectives:
1. Add parks, greenspace and appropri-
ate agriculture on city-owned land or on
larger infill development parcels where
possible, to keep urban and village cen-
ters attractive.
2. Identify the major gateways into downtown
and outline necessary improvements.
3. Encourage the preservation of historical-
ly or architecturally significant buildings.
4. Encourage and create incentives to enable
well-designed and desired development to
occur in downtown and other more densely
developed locations or in targeted growth
zones. These incentives should also work to
maintain the distinctions and historic prec-
edents that define those areas.
5. Define and support a critical mass of re-
tail, cultural, and office space.
6. Reinforce downtown as a regional city cen-
ter with its continuation as a vibrant mix of
commercial, civic and cultural uses.
7. Ensure the downtown and village centers
are universally accessible.
Strategies and Actions:
(P) Add regular funding to the capital budget
for more public benches, cigarette disposal
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive Planreceptacles, trash cans, restrooms, and gar-
den spaces downtown and in village centers,
so long as they are consistent with adopted
streetscape plans. Ask for the participation of
the local merchants and neighborhood resi-
dents in maintaining these facilities.
Responsible Agencies: Board of Public Works, City
Council, Department of Public Works
(P) Define an area standard and criteria for
required green/open space within the high-
est density commercial and village centers.
Responsible Agencies: Planning Board, Tree
Committee, City Council, Office of Planning and
Development
(P) Draft and adopt design criteria for roads,
signage and landscape that will enhance gate-
ways to downtown and village centers and create
a welcoming entry into each section of the City.
Responsible Agencies: Planning Board, Board of
Public Works, City Council, Tree Committee, Eco-
nomic Development, Department of Public Works,
Office of Planning and Development
(P) Redesign Pulaski Park to be more aes-
thetically pleasing, provide recreation, and be
user-friendly.
Responsible Agencies: Tree Committee, Board
of Public Works, City Council, Department of
Public Works, Recreation Department, Economic
Development
Develop a public signage and wayfinding pro-
gram that increases visibility of public road
signs, and ensures that private signs conform
to downtown and village aesthetics and design
criteria.
Responsible Agencies: Planning Board, Board of
Public Works, City Council, Economic Develop-
ment, Department of Public Works, Office of Plan-
ning and Development
Continue to increase the amount of public
open space for community gardens, (where
the soils and microclimate are appropriate for
gardening) to eliminate waiting list for com-
munity garden plots.
Responsible Agencies: Planning Board, City
Council, Recreation Department, Smith Vocation-
al Board of Trustees, Conservation Commission,
Community Preservation Committee
Continue to improve streetscape design stan-
dards for street trees and streetscape.
Responsible Agencies: Tree Committee, Planning
Board, Board of Public Works, Tree Committee,
Office of Planning and Development
Review accessibility on all public streets and
continue program to upgrade and convert to
universally accessible public space.
Responsible Agencies: Planning Board, Board of
Public Works, Committee on Disabilities, Council
on Aging, Tree Committee, Office of Planning
and Development
Measurements of Progress:
Design Criteria and Performance Standards
Metric: Improvements to the City’s design
guidelines and performance standards
Reporting Agencies: Department of Public
Works, Office of Planning and Development
Target: Regular updates
Responsibility for Target: Board of Public Works,
Planning Board, Economic Development
Streetscape Improvements
Metric: Number, value and length of
streetscape improvements following the de-
sign guidelines
Reporting Agencies: Department of Public
Works, Office of Planning and Development
Target: 2% of yearly maintenance and capital
budget should go toward streetscape improve-
ments
Street Trees
Street trees should be planted at 20 feet, depending on the species. At $800-850 per installed
street tree, a yearly budget of $20,000 to $21,250 will be needed for 25 trees.. Trees planted
along travel ways can reduce vehicle emissions by removing sulphur dioxide and reducing
particulates by up to 75% (Johnston and Newton, London Ecology Unit). A single full-grown
(beech) tree can provide equivalent cooling as five room air conditioners and will supply enough
oxygen for ten people (Johnston and Newton, and Trees for Cities).
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive PlanResponsibility for Target: City Council, Board
of Public Works, Planning Board, Economic
Development
Street Trees
Metric: (1) Percent of public streets shaded by
trees or length of streets planted with shade
trees; (2) a separation of no more than 20 feet
depending on species unless modification ap-
proved by the Tree Committee for safety rea-
sons, when space is limited or to achieve a cer-
tain design effect.
Reporting Agencies: Tree Committee, Depart-
ment of Public Works
Target: A minimum of 25 trees per year plant-
ed or replaced, with a goal of one-to-one re-
placement
Responsibility for Target: Tree Committee,
Department of Public Works, in coopera-
tion with any Business Improvement District,
neighborhood groups and civic associations.
General
Metric: Progress on Actions under Housing,
Economic Development, and Arts and Culture
See also: Housing, Economic Development,
and Arts and Culture
Potential Conflict:
• Real estate and business market forces
may not match the desire for certain mix-
es of uses.
• Streetscape improvements could be
costly.
Potential Response:
• Linking public improvements with pri-
vate development can be successful
through the use of incentives, exactions,
or mitigations.
• Incentives such as grants or relief from
regulations will encourage a mix of uses
with other public benefits.
Goal LU-3: Maintain a distinction
between rural areas, residential
neighborhoods, and urban areas
Objectives:
1. Housing projects that are built in rural ar-
eas should be cluster development types,
leaving more open land, with designs that
allow for a variety of housing options.
2. Preserve the character of rural areas
through preservation of large undevel-
oped tracts, vistas, and farmland.
3. Ensure a wide variety of living options to
allow market-based choices.
4. Implement ideas for maximizing density
on small lots.
5. Preserve a diversity of housing types that
define the historic development of the
neighborhood. Encourage development
in areas with proper existing and planned
infrastructure
6. Create Northampton neighborhoods, ,
that provide pedestrian scales, connec-
tions to goods and services, and connec-
tions to multiple modes of travel.
7. Ensure that zoning and land use regula-
tions encourage mixed-use, multi-family
development projects that are in keeping
with high quality design and a charac-
ter that transitions into the surrounding
neighborhood.
8. Ensure that expansion of commercial
parcels into residential areas coincides
with road infrastructure improvements
that enhance the value of the abutting
residential uses and improve neighbor-
hood character.
Strategies and Actions:
Where cluster ordinance does not provide the
optimum designs, adopt revised cluster regu-
lations as proposed in the City’s’ 2003 Grow
Smart process.
Responsible Agencies: Planning Board, City
Council, Office of Planning and Development,
(future) Rezoning Committee
When offered for redevelopment, evaluate
appropriate reuse of large institutional prop-
erties and consider redevelopment for mixed-
use centers
Responsible Agencies: Planning Board, City
Council, Office of Planning and Development
New Development
All subdivisions in last ten years have been
open space residential or planned village
equivalents
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive PlanEncourage development of neighborhood or-
ganizations and support their participation in
the planning of their areas.
Responsible Agencies: All City Departments
Complete a survey to identify the types of
housing people want and provide informa-
tion on the potential value of variety in hous-
ing designs.
Responsible Agencies: Mayor, Office of Planning
and Development
Establish public policies that prioritize main-
taining public infrastructure in neighbor-
hoods mixed with affordable housing.
Responsible Agencies: DPW, Board of Public
Works, Office of Planning & Development
Determine and extend public infrastructure
improvements; water, roads, and sewer, to en-
courage the appropriate types of housing.
Responsible Agencies: DPW, Board of Public
Works, Office of Planning & Development
See also: Open Space, Strategies and Actions
for Rural Areas
Measurements of Progress:
Conformance of Regulations
Metric: Adoption of regulations and revisions
corresponding to the use designations of the
Future Land Use Map
Reporting Agency: Office of Planning and De-
velopment
Target: Conformance with the Future Land
Use Map
Responsibility for Target: City Council, Plan-
ning Board, Economic Development for busi-
ness zones, Rezoning Committee
Infill Development
Metric: Number of infill housing units
Reporting Agencies: Building Department,
Office of Planning and Development
Target: A minimum of 50% of all housing de-
veloped in Northampton
Responsibility for Target: City, Council, Plan-
ning Board, Office of Planning and Develop-
ment, local housing developers
Potential Conflicts:
• The need for infill and greater density of
downtown development, including reuse
of existing structures, lies in contrast to
the desire of many people to live in sin-
gle-family homes with yards and nearby
green space and an aversion to more de-
velopment in their neighborhood.
• Accommodating the need for the City’s
major employers to expand, but with
minimal negative impacts on neighbor-
hoods and the environment.
• Increased property values are desirable
but not the increased property tax and
decreased affordability that comes with
increased value.
• Neighborhoods, individuals, or business-
es can be opposed to affordable housing.
Potential Responses:
• Do not establish policies that are restric-
tive of a wide range of housing choices.
• Educate people on the costs and benefits
of stopping further development.
• Establish design guidelines and perfor-
mance standards that ensure a compat-
ible mix of land uses.
• Educate people on the income range
definitions of eligibility for affordable
housing and the need for a community
of diverse economic levels.
Goal LU-4: Preserve and encourage
agricultural uses in designated
areas, such as the Meadows
Objectives:
1. Maintain the primarily open and agricul-
tural nature of the Meadows as it exists,
with no new residential lots and no sig-
nificant increase in residential density.
2. Continue to allow flooding of the Mead-
ows for restoration of the soils for farm-
ing, and preserve the floodplain storage
capacity of the Meadows as a means to
prevent other areas and neighborhoods
from flooding.
3. Support the economic viability of farming
within the City, preserving scenic, ecolog-
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive Planical, and environmental benefits for the
City as whole. The City should support
farming through allocation of resources
and infrastructure investments.
4. Encourage improvements to existing
businesses in these targeted areas to
maintain their viability and thereby re-
duce the potential for sale or conversion
to alternative uses.
5. Ease regulatory burden on landowners in
these targeted areas that wish to maintain
or expand their homes or businesses.
Strategies and Actions:
Monitor the trends of farmland utilization and
production and be ready to act when there is
the need for public policy support.
Responsible Agencies: Agriculture Commission,
Planning Board, City Council, Office of Plan-
ning and Development
Work with Agriculture Commission to identify
additional parcels of land for agriculture pro-
tection and agri-businesses.
Responsible Agencies: Agriculture Commission,
Planning Board, Economic Development, Office
of Planning and Development
Measurement of Progress:
Metric: Acres of land classified in agricultural
production, and yearly farm revenues
Reporting Agencies: Agriculture Commission,
Office of Planning and Development
Target: Maintain farmland area and increase
yearly revenues by 2%
Responsibility for Target: Open Space Com-
mittee, Planning, Community Preservation
Committee to maintain farmland; City Coun-
cil and Planning to approve expansion of agri-
business; Economic Development and Cham-
ber of Commerce to promote agri-tourism
and provide business assistance
Potential Conflict:
• Agriculture is fading as a strong part of
the regional economy and efforts to pre-
serve it may be very difficult, especially in
the face of new development pressures.
Potential Responses:
• Highlight farming as a quality of the area
and thereby provide some marketing sup-
port.
• Allow diversification of farm activities to
provide other business income.
7Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive PlanEnergy, Environment and
Climate Protection
Goal EEC-1: Reduce community’s
and City’s energy demand and
natural resource consumption
Objectives:
A. Energy Savings
1. Emphasize the incorporation of current en-
ergy standards when restoring and preserv-
ing existing housing and building stock.
2. Facilitate the increased energy efficiency
and use of renewable energy in public
and private buildings
3. Increase utilization of energy from re-
newable sources and reduce utilization of
energy provided from limited resources,
such as oil.
4. Promote a “buy local” policy and a public
campaign about the environmental im-
pacts of local vs. non-local purchases.
5. Help inform all sectors (residential, com-
mercial, municipal) in preparation for
future cost increases and cost spikes of
conventional energy sources.
6. Encourage large-scale development of
“greenfield” sites to be “green” develop-
ment with minimal impact on natural or
energy resources.
7. Encourage development that maximizes
building orientation and landscaping to
increase energy savings.
B. Waste Management
1. Publicize the City’s recycling and reuse
efforts as a model for the private sector.
2. Increase recycling and reuse from multi-
family homes.
3. Eliminate use of one-
time bottles, bags and
other items as appropri-
ate.
4. Increase recycling in
waste streams from city
buildings and schools,
including composting,
and establish a high
standard for the pri-
vate sector to follow.
5. Encourage residential composting.
6. Improve the opportunity for residents to
dispose of household hazardous waste
materials.
C. Green Buildings
1. Facilitate the development and construc-
tion of “green” [e.g. LEED™ certified]
new municipal buildings with the goal
that all new significant municipal build-
ings include these criteria – such as the
Senior Center.
2. Encourage reuse and rehabilitation of ex-
isting buildings.
3. Emphasize restoration and preservation
of existing housing and building stock to
incorporate up-to-date energy standards.
4. Incorporate green building standards for
retrofits into the rehabilitation of munici-
pal buildings.
Strategies and Actions:
Energy Savings
(P) Reconstitute and revitalize a new Energy
Resources Commission modeled on the suc-
cessful structure of the Transportation and
Energy Resources Under Strain and “Peak Oil”
Peak oil in its simplest definition is a label for the problem of petroleum based energy
resource depletion, or more specifically, the peak in global oil production. Whether the
extraction of the world’s oil resources will peak next year, in ten years, or farther into the
future, or whether energy independence is essential for geopolitical or environmental and
climate protection reasons, it is clear that aggressive efforts must be made now to move
the City towards substantially reduced overall energy dependency and energy costs. Actions
in this plan addressing land use, transportation and the local economy – among others
-- are recommended with this reality in mind. The responsibilities of the Energy Resources
Commission will include monitoring broader energy trends and events as they unfold,
and helping the City and its citizens to understand the potential impacts and to respond
accordingly.
8Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive PlanParking Commission to include City staff,
board members, and citizens. This Commis-
sion should have the ability to assist in imple-
menting and keeping the community focus
on the energy goals of this plan, including
collecting data, proactively examining alter-
native, renewable, and sustainable energy
options (i.e. solar power, vegetable oil and
biodiesel options, methane digester power,
landfill gas generation, and hydropower from
the Connecticut and Mill rivers). The Com-
mission should be coordinated with the En-
ergy Officer, and responsible for organizing
community education efforts.
Responsible Agency: Mayor
(P) Prepare and implement an energy conser-
vation plan for the City as a means of provid-
ing a resource guide on cost-effective energy-
saving measures. Ask the utility companies to
assist.
Responsible Agencies: Energy Resources Commis-
sion, Board of Public Works, School Committee,
Energy Officer
Investigate contracting with an Energy Service
Company (ESCo) to provide the City with en-
ergy efficiency upgrades at no up-front cost to
the City and in such a way as to use the money
saved through increased efficiency to fund re-
newable energy projects.
Responsible Agencies: Energy Resources Commis-
sion, Central Services Department, Energy Officer,
Capital Improvement Committee, Department of
Public Works, School Department
Include line items in the capital program for
replacement of old technologies with newer,
cleaner, and more efficient ones.
Responsible Agencies: Mayor, Board of Public
Works, Capital Improvement Committee, City Coun-
cil, Energy Resources Commission, Energy Officer
Keep energy audits and operations audits of
all public buildings, vehicle fleets, and pub-
lic lighting (street, parking, and traffic), and
keep current a list of all completed energy sav-
ing measures implemented and opportunities
for future cost-effective energy upgrades.
Responsible Agencies: Energy Resources Commission,
Central Services Department, Energy Officer, Capital
Improvement Committee, Department of Public
Works, School Department, Police Department
Create an awards program for improvements
in energy efficiency for the built environment
for both City agencies and private sector de-
velopment.
Responsible Agencies: Mayor, Energy Resources
Commission, Energy Officer
Building Standards
(P) Adopt a standard that all new significant
City buildings will meet LEED™ certification
standards and ideally be LEED-certified.
Responsible Agencies: Mayor, Central Services
Department, School Committee, Board of Public
What are other communities doing?
• Chicago has adopted programs to
require all municipal buildings to
use sustainable design, accelerates
permits for green buildings, provides
educational programs, and provide
awards for innovation.
• Seattle provides density bonuses
and financial incentives for private
green buildings and has a “SeaGreen”
program to build sustainable,
affordable housing.
• Cincinnati offers property tax
abatements for green building
projects.
• Boston requires all large projects
to show how they conform to LEED
certification standards.
• San Antonio, TX and Aspen, CO require
all construction projects to submit
plans for using building and demolition
resources most efficiently.
Program details are available on each
community’s web site.
Green Buildings
The U. S. General Services Administration reviewed the costs of LEED
certification (LEED® Cost Study, October 2004) and determined that soft
costs (design phase costs) increased from $0.35 to $0.59 per square
foot, and that construction costs increased by 1.4% to 8.2% ($1.78 to
$10.58) per square foot, with the higher end of the costs associated
with a higher level of certification. A different cost analysis (G. Kats,
Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, 2003) one year earlier found
a similar range of additional unit costs ($3.00 to $5.00/square foot), and
found that certification was possible for slightly less than 2% of the
overall construction costs. When sixty LEED certified buildings were
compared to conventional buildings, there was an 18% to 37% energy
savings in the certified buildings (Kats). With recent improvements
in green building systems, the U.S. Green Building Council now (2007)
claims a 40% average energy saving over standard construction with a
LEED-certified building.
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive PlanWorks, Capital Improvement Committee, City
Council, Energy Resources Commission, Energy
Officer
Make new and substantial matching fund for
the renovation of schools with high sustain-
ability standards and seek grants that facilitate
the incorporation of renewable energy and
incorporation of greater sustainability, This is
currently under the program entitled CHPS -
Collaborative for High-Performance Schools
Responsible Agencies: Mayor, School Committee,
Capital Improvement Committee, Central Services
Department, City Council, Energy Resources Com-
mission, Energy Officer
Complete a structural review of the city’s
buildings to determine viability of retrofitting
them with green roofs.
Responsible Agencies: Central Services Depart-
ment, Department of Public Works, School Depart-
ment, Library Department
Publicize the City’s commitment to green
standards and specific accomplishments as a
model for private residential and commercial
projects. Provide incentives and, to the extent
allowed by law, require Energy Star, LEED™,
or equivalent approaches to design in private
development projects.
Responsible Agencies: Planning Board, Planning
Department, Energy Officer, Building Commissioner
Research and consider the standards present-
ed in the Architecture 2030 as a significant
part of energy reduction plan.
Responsible Agencies: Energy Resources Commis-
sion, Energy Officer
Petition the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
for state approval of Energy Star ratings as the
minimum standards for local building code in
cooperation with regional efforts.
Responsible Agencies: Mayor, Central Services
Department, School Committee, Board of Public
Works, Capital Improvement Committee, City
Council, Energy Resources Commission, Energy
Officer
Waste Management
Update audit reports of waste generation and
disposal to allow review for improvements in
reuse, recycling, and waste reduction.
Responsible Agencies: Mayor, Central Services
Department, School Committee, Board of Public
Works
City Efforts Towards Sustainability:
John F. Kennedy Middle School:
• 10 kilowatts of photovoltaics (solar cells with solar and non-solar sources of light) has been
installed on roof
• Generate 10,000-kilowatt hours of power annually (equivalent to electricity needed to
power 3-4 energy efficient homes)
• Data acquisition module to monitor electricity generated & intensity of the sun
City of Northampton Department of Public Works:
• Landfill producing methane gas for electricity generation (Oct. - Nov. 2007)
• Biodiesel fuel for large equipment (conversion of vehicles begins July 2006)
• Smaller department vehicles replaced by hybrids (Ford Escape)
The new Northampton Senior Center:
• Geothermal heat pumps (geoexchange system) to heat, cool, provide hot water (for more
details regarding geoexchange systems, please refer to city website)
• Only 43,000 Btu/Sq-ft. energy used annually with the system vs. 106,000 Btu/Sq.-ft energy
for traditional systems (60% reduction in site energy use)
• Photovoltaics on south end of center (lifespan of voltaics: 25 yrs)
• LEED certified, expected to receive a silver rating (http://www.leedbuilding.org/)
• LEED criteria met: sustainable site selection and development, water and energy use,
indoor environmental quality, innovation in sustainable design and construction
0Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive PlanContinue working with Massachusetts Depart-
ment of Environmental Protection for respon-
sible operation of landfill.
Responsible Agencies: Central Services Depart-
ment, Public Works
Measurements of Progress:
Green Buildings and Green Roofs
Metrics:
• Number of buildings built and certified
under green design standards,
• Number of buildings with green roofs, and
number of buildings with solar collectors
providing a portion of the building load.
Reporting Agencies: Energy Resources Com-
mission, Capital Improvement Committee,
Central Services Department, Energy Officer,
Building Commissioner
Target: All new municipal building and reno-
vation projects built to LEED™ criteria (mini-
mum Silver), and all roofs that are appropri-
ate for green roofs or photovoltaic installation
be outfitted with one of these options. Renew-
able energy sources are to support 50% of the
building load.
Responsibility for Target: Central Services
Department, Energy Resources Commission,
Mayor, City Council, Capital Improvement
Committee, and any department sponsoring
a new building.
For other building performance standards
and incentives, see EEC-2
Recycling
Metric: Amount in percent and tonnage of
waste recycled
Reporting Agency: Department of Public
Works
Target: 75% by 2017
Responsibility for Target: Board of Public
Works
Goal EEC-2: Reduce emissions of
greenhouse gases [GHG]
Objectives:
1. Raise awareness among residents and busi-
nesses about global climate change and
the sources of climate changing gases.
2. Encourage uses that generate substantial
automobile traffic to undertake Trans-
portation Demand Management [TDM]
to reduce the impacts of that travel.
3. Develop practices that will reduce emis-
sions of greenhouse gases and increase
energy efficiency in municipal and school
operations.
4. Cognizant of climate change, geopoliti-
cal pressures, and the increasing difficul-
ty in obtaining petroleum-based energy,
along with the associated environmental
concerns; develop a plan to diversify how
Northampton will meet its energy needs
and become more energy independent.
5. Connect pertinent city policies to the
GHG emission reduction goals of Sustain-
able Northampton.
6. Improve energy and transportation effi-
ciency in City travel.
7. Encourage and work with the City’s resi-
dential, business, and commercial sectors
to help them reduce their GHG emis-
sions through increased energy efficien-
cy, energy source switching, and behavior
changes.
8. Follow the Future Land Use Map to en-
sure efficient use of land and reduced
vehicle traffic
Strategies and Actions:
Audits and Inventories
Prepare, as an addendum to Sustainable
Northampton, a plan for climate protection for
all sectors.
City energy efficiency investments
• Senior Center—LEED Certified with
geothermal heat
• New Police Station—commitment that
the design will be LEED certifiable
• New DPW Headquarters—commitment
that the design will be LEED certifiable
• JFK Middle School—photovoltaic
panels
• High School Expansion and
rehabilitation of other schools—new
energy conservation and efficiency
improvements
• Landfill gas to energy
• Biodiesel for DPW fleet
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive PlanResponsible Agencies: Energy Resources Commis-
sion, Energy Officer, All City Departments
In 2011, update the City’s ICLEI inventory for
climate protection with 2010 data to determine
the City’s progress toward it’s GHG reduction
targets and modify the City’s Climate Change
Protection Action Plan as needed to ensure the
City can meet it’s GHG reduction targets.
Responsible Agencies: Energy Resources Commis-
sion, Energy Officer, All City Departments
Monitor The Climate Registry to determine
statewide compliance.
Responsible Agency: Energy Resources Commis-
sion, Energy Officer
Publicize the City’s successes in reducing
greenhouse gas emissions in their buildings,
transportation, and waste initiatives to serve as
a model for the private sector
Responsible Agency: Energy Resources Commis-
sion, Energy Officer
Operations
Review maintenance and operation proce-
dures covering vehicle and facility use against
energy saving options in each department.
Responsible Agencies: All City Departments
Review energy source (e.g., electric, natural
gas, or heating oil) and vehicle fuel choices
on a regular basis to identify potential alterna-
tives for each department to use to meet City
greenhouse gas emission reduction targets.
Responsible Agencies: All City Departments
Consolidate use of public buildings, including
schools, to save energy for evening meetings
and programs.
Responsible Agencies: Central Services, All other
City Departments
See also: Infrastructure and Capital Resources
Goal, IC-2: Operations
Institute travel demand management (TDM).
For example, provide employee cash outs for
employees giving up city parking spaces if it re-
duces the number of single occupancy trips.
Responsible Agencies: All City Departments
Install integrated energy management systems
for all public buildings.
Responsible Agencies: Capital Improvement
Committee, Central Services Department, Energy
Officer, School Department, Library Department
Include lease provisions for energy program
compliance for private users of all public
buildings.
Responsible Agencies: Central Services, City Coun-
cil, Board of Public Works, School Department
Increase participation in composting pro-
grams through:
• A public education program;
• Improved ‘user-friendly’ management of
compost facilities.
Responsible Agency: Department of Public Works
Evaluate ISO 14001 Certification for the City.
Responsible Agencies: Mayor, Central Services
Department, Energy Officer, Energy Resources
Commission
Life Cycle Analysis and Monitoring
Include a Life Cycle Analysis in all public
building projects.
Responsible Agencies: Capital Improvement Com-
mittee, Central Services Department, Department
of Public Works, School Department, Library
Department
Develop a monitoring program for environ-
mental performance in public facilities.
Responsible Agencies: Energy Resources Commis-
sion, Capital Improvement Committee, Central
Services Department, School Department, Library
Department
Develop a monitoring program for environ-
mental performance in private facilities.
Responsible Agencies: Energy Resources Commission
Develop a monitoring program for waste gen-
eration and disposal from City operations.
Responsible Agencies: Department of Public
Works, School Department
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive PlanImprovements
Add standards in City’s street tree and open s
pace programs to help reduce fossil fuel use
(e.g. provide summer shade to reduce use of
air conditioning).
Responsible Agencies: Tree Committee, Depart-
ment of Public Works
Create a program to maximize the use of pub-
lic forests for reducing carbon.
Responsible Agencies: Tree Committee, Depart-
ment of Public Works
Present a report for public review that iden-
tifies where, as allowed by state law, the City
land use ordinances could further address
greenhouse gas emissions, and identify the lo-
cal costs in implementation.
Responsible Agencies: Energy Resources Com-
mission, Energy Officer, Office of Planning And
Development
Incentives
Prepare an incentive program that will moti-
vate residents and businesses to implement in-
creased energy efficiency measures and use of
renewable energy system in existing buildings
and present for public review. An example of
one such program exists in Cambridge, MA,
Responsible Agencies: Mayor, Energy Resources
Commission, Capital Improvement Committee
Create an awards program for improvements
in energy efficiency and the built environ-
ment for both City agencies and private sector
development.
Responsible Agencies: Mayor, Energy Resources
Commission, Energy Officer
Provide incentives [bonuses and waivers] in
the land use regulations for new construction
to achieve certification for high efficiency and
green building standards.
Responsible Agencies: Planning Board, City
Council, Office of Planning and Development
Measurements of Progress:
Total Energy Demand
Metric: Trend in total energy demand from
City facilities
Reporting Agencies: City Treasurer, Energy
Officer
Target: 2 to 3% reduction per year on pay-
ments for energy bills
Responsibility for Target: Central Services,
Energy Resources Commission, School De-
partment, Energy Officer
Renewable Energy Use
Metric: Percent of municipal energy supplied
by renewable sources
Reporting Agency: City Treasurer
Target: Total of 25% energy demand supplied
from renewable sources by 2017 based on pay-
ments on energy bills
Responsibility for Target: Mayor, City Council,
Central Services, Energy Resources Commis-
sion, Energy Officer
Monitoring
Metric: Match comparative performance stan-
dards from ICLEI, The Climate Registry, and
others
Reporting Agencies: Energy Officer, Office of
Planning and Development
Target: Lead in local climate protection efforts
Responsibility for Target: All City Departments
Total Greenhouse Gas Reduction
Metric: Percent of FY2000 Equivalent CO2
Emissions from all City functions
Reporting Agency: Energy Officer
Target: 8% below 2000 levels by 2010, 25% be-
low by 2017, and 30% below by 2020
Responsibility for Target: All City Depart-
ments, Energy Resources Commission, School
Department, Energy Officer
Potential Conflicts:
• There is widespread support for energy
conservation, but little in the way of tan-
gible plans to make it happen.
• The conflict between lifestyles/current
habits of property owners and the emerg-
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive Planing cost and uncertainty of energy supply
will need to be explored.
Potential Response:
• The recognition of growing scarcity costs
associated with uncertain energy supplies
will encourage modification of energy
utilization.
• New technologies are being rapidly devel-
oped that will help address these conflicts.
Goal EEC-3: Protect valuable and
sensitive ecological resources (land,
air, water, habitat, plants and
animals)
Objectives:
1. Prioritize and preserve quality wetlands
by encouraging development in densely
populated areas and in clusters.
2. Protect and conserve water supplies
(drinking, surface, groundwater, recharge
areas, aquifers) and continue to enforce
groundwater protection regulations.
3. Conserve wetlands with programs to en-
sure no net loss of total wetlands (existing
area of approximately 3,000 acres).
4. Preserve floodplains for flood storage
and, where appropriate, habitat values.
5. Preserve existing forests, floodplains, wet-
lands, and agricultural soils of high eco-
logical value.
6. Protect rare and endangered plants and
animals and important wildlife corridors.
7. Improve the quality and appearance of
the public water supply.
8. Recognize that the protection of environ-
mental resources will improve the quality
of life and the value of property in the City.
9. Minimize the loss of tree canopy through-
out the City and increase tree canopy in
urbanized areas to maintain a higher
quality environment in all areas.
See also: Land Use Goals
Strategies and Actions:
Continue implementation of water conserva-
tion plans.
Responsible Agency: Department of Public Works
Investigate the creation of a land banking system
for wildlife habitat and wetlands protection.
Responsible Agency: Office of Planning and
Development
Expand the street tree program by obtaining
private funds and services as grants, mitiga-
tion, and exactions and using them to imple-
ment the public sector programs through de-
sign, construction, and maintenance.
Responsible Agencies: Tree Committee, Department
of Public Works,
Create an awards program for protection of
ecological resources for both City agencies
and private sector development.
Responsible Agencies: Mayor, Energy Resources
Commission, Energy Officer
Measurement of Progress:
Conservation
Metric: Acreage and numbers of sites of land
and natural resource conservation
Reporting Agencies: Conservation Commis-
sion, Office of Planning and Development
Target: 2% increase in area or number per year.
Responsibility for Target: Conservation Com-
mission, City Council, Planning Board
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive PlanGoal EEC-4: Minimize the impacts
of infrastructure systems on
environmental resources
Objectives:
1. Implement regulations that include
measures for soil erosion and sediment
control.
2. Encourage and enforce low impact de-
velopment designs.
3. Develop an inventory of roadways and
facilities in environmentally sensitive ar-
eas and reduce the use of sand, salts or
other de-icing chemicals for their main-
tenance.
4. When in use, store road salt and de-icing
chemicals in safe and environmentally
sound locations and structures to prevent
accidental pollution/contamination.
5. Include ‘low impact’ and National Pollu-
tion Discharge Elimination System (NP-
DES) drainage improvements concur-
rently with any pavement management
program or project.
6. Reuse brownfield sites.
7. Continue to provide a means of conserv-
ing the supply of potable water for ac-
tual or anticipated shortages and when
deemed necessary for health, welfare or
safety.
8. Ensure City programs for improvement
are equally distributed throughout all
neighborhoods, consistent with need
and cost.
9. Reduce use of toxic substances being
released in the environment, including
pesticides, herbicides, high VOC paints,
and other listed toxic materials.
Strategies and Actions:
Convene a working group of the Conserva-
tion Commission, Tree Committee, Board of
Public Works, and Planning Board, supported
by the Public Works Department and Office
of Planning and Development and task it with
researching and determining improvements
to infrastructure for environmental benefits
and related public and private costs for con-
struction, including permeable pavement
where appropriate, and other low impact in-
frastructure improvements.
Responsible Agency: Mayor
Explore alternatives to sand and salt to utilize
the most environmentally friendly alternatives
for road maintenance.
Responsible Agency: Department of Public Works
Measurement of Progress:
Public Projects
Metric: Number of public infrastructure proj-
ects designed or to retrofit for low impact
standards
Reporting Agency: Capital Improvements
Target: All public infrastructure projects to re-
duce impervious coverage and stormwater run-
off volumes, and increase stormwater quality
Responsibility for Target: Capital Improve-
ments, Board of Public Works, Planning
Board, City Council
Private Development
Metrics:
• Number of subdivisions meeting low im-
pact standards
• Number of green roofs in urbanized areas
• Number of Low Impact Development proj-
ects in the outlying and low-density areas
Reporting Agencies: Department of Public
Works from stormwater management permit-
ting approvals, Conservation Commission and
Planning Board from permit applications and
approvals for private development
Target: Increase number of private developments
encouraged to build green design projects.
Responsibility for Target: Department of Pub-
lic Works, Planning Board, Conservation Com-
mission
Low Impact Development
LID is a site planning process that considers ways to reduce the total
impact of a project on the land, especially with regard to stormwater
runoff. The EOEA has a site that presents the LID concept:
http://www.mass.gov/envir/smart_growth_toolkit/pages/mod-lid.html
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive PlanGoal EEC-5: Safeguard and improve
the quality of the City’s surface
waters to ensure use for safe public
swimming, recreational fishing
activities, boating, and drinking
Objectives:
1. Ensure landside land alterations do not
adversely impact surface waters.
2. Ensure waterfront property owners com-
ply with regulations and upgrade envi-
ronmental control equipment.
3. Ensure safe, high quality, recreational wa-
ters are available to all residents.
4. Protect quality of backup drinking water
supply located in City reservoir.
Strategies and Actions:
Create a volunteer water-quality monitoring
group under the auspices of the Conservation
Commission to monitor long-term trends of
water quality changes in areas not monitored
by the Department of Public Works
Responsible Agency: Conservation Commission
Pursue a long-term plan to improve the health
of Northampton’s rivers, streams, brooks, wet-
lands and open water bodies by taking actions
that address water quality.
Responsible Agency: Conservation Commission, De-
partment of Public Works
Measurement of Progress:
Metric: Improvement of water quality
Reporting Agencies: Conservation Commis-
sion, Health Department, Department of
Public Works
Target: Continuous improvement towards
swimming, fishing, and where necessary,
drinking water standards
Responsibility for Target: Conservation Com-
mission, Health Department, Board of Public
Works, Planning Board
Goal EEC-6: Reduce light pollution
Objectives:
1. Control the impact of light pollution in
all new development projects.
2. Provide adequate but low impact lighting
in business zones, the downtown and vil-
lage centers.
Strategies and Actions:
Enforce the Dark Sky Ordinance
Responsible Agency: Building Commissioner
Collaborate with local electric utility on financial
and design incentives and promotion of energy
conservation measures related to lighting.
Responsible Agencies: Mayor, Energy Officer,
Office of Planning and Development, Economic
Development, Building Commissioner
Provide list of lighting options for public and
private projects
Responsible Agencies: Building Commissioner,
Energy Officer, Central Services Department
Measurement of Progress:
Metric: Number of lighting systems built to
reduce light trespass
Reporting Agencies: Building Commissioner,
Office of Planning and Development
Target: All new projects to include lighting
control design
Responsibility for Target: Building Commis-
sioner, Office of Planning and Development,
Planning Board
Potential Conflict:
• The conflict between lifestyles/current
habits of property owners and the emerg-
ing cost and uncertainty of energy supply
will need to be explored.
Potential Response:
• New technologies are being rapidly de-
veloped that will help address these con-
flicts.
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive PlanGoal EEC-7: Develop strategies to
protect the City from the impacts
of natural hazards.
Objectives:
1. Site new development outside of high
hazard natural areas, such as floodways.
2. Reduce the public costs of infrastructure
maintenance in high hazard areas.
3. Consistently apply strategies to all neigh-
borhoods and areas.
4. Encourage passive survivability standards
of new structures to increase survival of
natural disasters for all public and private
buildings.
5. Consider potential impacts caused by cli-
mate change to the severity of weather.
Strategies and Actions:
Expand the City’s Emergency Response Plan
to include review of high hazard areas and
recommendations to reduce exposure with
alterations in land use patterns and infrastruc-
ture projects.
Responsible Agencies: All City Departments
Publicize the City’s Emergency Response Plan
and apply for funds to implement it.
Responsible Agencies: All City Departments, and
Emergency Management
Work in conjunction with the private and non-
profit sector to develop integrated emergency
management plan.
Responsible Agencies: Emergency Management,
Local Institutions
Create interoperability of public and private
emergency communication systems.
Responsible Agencies: Emergency Management,
Local Institutions
Work collaboratively with public and private
partners on public notification systems.
Responsible Agencies: Emergency Management,
Local Institutions
Measurement of Progress:
Metric: Interconnectedness, effectiveness,
and level of public awareness of Emergency
Response Plan
Reporting Agency: Emergency Preparedness
Target: All institutions, businesses, and house-
holds
Responsibility for Target: Emergency Pre-
paredness
7Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive PlanOpen Space and Recreation
Goal OS-1: Maximize use of the City’s
open space and recreation areas
Objectives:
1. Determine carrying capacity of facilities
and match it with population growth and
demographics.
2. Maximize use of recreational space with af-
fordable and quality programs for youth.
3. Make capital improvements and enhance
maintenance of recreation facilities.
4. Provide open space and recreation op-
portunities for individuals of all ages, so-
cioeconomic levels, and physical abilities
now and for future generations.
Strategies and Actions:
Using the inventory included in the Open
Space and Recreation Plan, define the current
usage and estimate carrying capacity based on
resource quality and impacts. Maximize the
potential use by advertising availability.
Responsible Agencies: Recreation Commission,
Recreation Department, School Committee,
School Department
Seek input from various user groups/com-
munity populations on recreation needs and
registration outreach to target programming
and increase participation in both youth and
adult recreation programs.
Responsibility: Recreation Commission/Depart-
ment, community groups/neighborhood associa-
tions, Casa Latina, Center for New Americans,
residents.
Measurement of
Progress:
Metric: Number
of visitors to City
open space and recreation areas
Reporting Agency: Recreation Department
Target: Match carrying capacity with use
Responsibility for Target: Mayor, Recre-
ation Commission, City Council, Board of
Public Works
Goal OS-2: Expand
open space and
recreation areas
Objectives:
1. Acquire land for rec-
reation, conservation
and open space needs,
preservation of plant
and animal habitat,
protection of scenic
vistas, public enjoyment, and to enhance
the character and sustainability of the
community.
2. Preserve and expand City holdings of
open space and wild lands, and open
land in developed areas, including
densely developed areas.
3. Use open space and recreation to ensure
that the urban and village centers are at-
tractive places to live, work, and visit.
4. Make more natural areas available for
public use as long as watershed land ac-
cess does not threaten water supplies.
5. Acquire land and build facilities to meet
the needs for adult and youth athletic
and recreation and school teams.
Strategies and Actions:
Implement the Open Space and Recreation
Plan recommendations for expansion of spac-
es and facilities.
Responsible Agencies: Community Preservation
Committee, Recreation Commission
Identify appropriate parcels and create addi-
tional playing fields.
Responsible Agencies: Recreation Commission,
Community Preservation Committee
Measurement of Progress:
Metric: Amount of land/facilities available for
open space and recreation
Reporting Agencies: Recreation Department,
Office of Planning and Development
Target: 5% increase per year in area and num-
ber of facilities
Protected Open Space
Currently 16% of City,
growing at 1/2% of
City per year
8Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive PlanResponsibility for Target: Mayor, Community
Preservation Committee, Recreation Com-
mission, City Council
Goal OS-3: Preserve natural
and cultural resources and the
environment
Objectives:
1. Preserve the character of rural areas,
farms, forests, and rivers.
2. Manage conservation properties to re-
store plant and animal habitats.
3. Preserve the environment and cultural
and natural resources through land and
easements and regulation changes.
4. Protect important ecological resources,
including surface and groundwater re-
sources, plant communities, and wild-
life habitat.
5. Preserve ecological linkages and wildlife
corridors, especially water-based linkages.
6. Have the City take a lead in protecting ar-
chitectural and cultural history.
7. Consistently apply the criteria for preser-
vation of the environment and resources
across all neighborhoods and areas.
Strategies and Actions:
Continue to use acquisition, less-than-fee-simple
ownership, and easements to preserve resources.
Responsible Agencies: Community Preservation
Committee, Conservation Commission, Office of
Planning and Development
Measurement of Progress:
Metric: Number of natural and cultural re-
source areas preserved
Reporting Agencies: Open Space Committee,
Conservation Commission, Office of Planning
and Development
Target: Two areas each year
Responsibility for Target: Community Preser-
vation Committee, Recreation Commission,
Conservation Commission, Planning Board
Goal OS-4: Provide open space
connections between public spaces
Objectives:
1. Identify ‘greenway’ and ‘blueway’ con-
nections that could provide pedestrian,
bicycle, and boat access between open
space areas.
2. Use the connections to also link business
areas where they can support the pedes-
trian/biking connections.
3. Improve connections to open spaces for all
individuals so they are universally accessible.
Strategies and Actions:
Create a Greenway plan - Map out potential
connections between open space areas and
other public properties. Set priorities for in-
cremental improvement of the connections.
Responsible Agency: Mayor, City Council, Board
of Public Works, Conservation Commission, Plan-
ning Board, Office of Planning and Development
Measurement of Progress:
Metric: New walking and biking links between
open spaces and public properties, between
neighborhoods and schools and village centers
Reporting Agencies: Department of Public
Works, Recreation Department, Office of
Planning and Development
Target: One thousand feet of new links identi-
fied or built each year
Responsibility for Target: Capital Improve-
ment Committee, Board of Public Works,
Planning Board
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive PlanEconomic Development
Goal ED-1: Ensure vibrant and
distinctive downtown, commercial,
and village centers
Objectives:
1. Encourage business and job growth in ur-
ban and commercial/industrial centers
(e.g., downtown, village centers, and tar-
geted commercial and industrial zones).
2. Improve physical access to commercial
centers.
3. Provide adequate transportation and
parking options to enable successful visits
to these centers.
4. Preserve/enhance the public services and
amenities that draw people downtown
and ensure that they are safe, pedestrian
friendly, and welcoming to the diversity
of Northampton residents.
Strategies and Actions:
(P) Support infill devel-
opment in downtown and
commercial/industrial
zones:
• Provide regulations and
financial incentives that
would encourage con-
version of public and
private surface parking
lots to mixed development with parking
structures,
• Allow taller structures [>five stories];
• Encourage or require shared parking to
meet zoning requirements.
Responsible Agencies: Planning Board, Office of
Planning and Development, Economic Development
(P) Monitor and seek solutions to social prob-
lems affecting business environment in down-
town, particularly panhandling and drug use.
Responsible Agencies: Mayor, City Council, Police
Department, Social Services Agencies
(P) Provide road and transit improvements to
support business development in areas identi-
fied for commercial and mixed- use growth.
See Transportation Section for details.
Responsible Agencies: Mayor, Economic Develop-
ment, City Council, Public Works, Transportation
and Parking, Office of Planning and Development
(P) Develop a mechanism to support down-
town management, marketing, and mainte-
nance such as a Business Improvement District
and develop revenue sources for marketing.
Responsible Agencies: Mayor, Economic Develop-
ment, Local businesses, property owners
Reinvigorate the retail sector:
• Monitor retail sales trends, occupancy,
and turnover rates
• Investigate and implement options to
create and monitor affordable commer-
cial space
• Develop a marketing strategy to reposi-
tion downtown as a retail hub and grow
market share
Business Improvement District
A Downtown Steering Committee, led
by a group of downtown businesses and
property owners, is working to develop
a Downtown Northampton Business
Improvement District (BID). Through
self-imposed fees, property owners in a
BID collectively invest in a broad range
of programs and services to give the
downtown a competitive edge in the
marketplace. BIDS provide services that
supplement the services provided by the
City. The BID will be a partnership between
private property owners, institutions
and non-profits, and the City with the
goal of generating greater profitability
through cooperation than any individual
property owner can accomplish alone. The
proposed BID will provide a comprehensive
package of supplemental programs and
services that will allow Northampton to
expand its prominence as the region’s
preeminent college town and cultural/
dining destination.
• Maintenance, landscaping, and
beautification
• Marketing, events, and public relations
• Public safety and addressing social
needs
• Parking and transportation
0Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive PlanResponsible Agencies: Economic Development,
Planning Department, Chamber of Commerce
Encourage placement of State regional facili-
ties, such as courts and State offices, in the
City especially downtown.
Responsible Agencies: Mayor, Economic Develop-
ment, Planning Department
Investigate the feasibility and pursue the devel-
opment of a year-round public market for agri-
cultural, arts, crafts, and locally made products.
Responsible Agencies: Mayor’s Office of Economic
Development, Chamber of Commerce, artists,
farmers, local producers.
Measurements of Progress:
Jobs
Metric: Number of jobs with living wages asso-
ciated with commercial development city/vil-
lage centers, and existing employers
Reporting Agencies: Mayor’s Office of Eco-
nomic Development, Office of Planning and
Development
Target: Increase in jobs with wages matching
local living standards
Responsibility for Target: Mayor’s Office of
Economic Development, Chamber of Com-
merce, Local businesses
Commercial Activity
Metric: Building permits issued for new com-
mercial development consistent with the Fu-
ture Land Use Map
Reporting Agencies: Building Department,
Office of Planning and Development
Target: Increase in commercial activity com-
mensurate with regional economic growth
Responsibility for Target: Planning Board,
Mayor’s Office of Economic Development
Goal ED-2: Provide long-term
economic sustainability, security,
and opportunity
Objectives:
1. Preserve and expand the commercial
and industrial land inventory and the
commercial/industrial tax base.
2. Encourage and support sustainable busi-
ness development and practices.
3. Encourage a versatile, diverse, and sus-
tainable business and employment base.
4. Encourage business development for job
creation and retention, and living wages
that support the cost of living in the City.
Strategies and Actions:
Sector support
(P) Reinvigorate the manufacturing base – both
traditional (plastics, machining) and higher
technology. Determine what regional and state-
wide resources can be used to support manu-
facturing and provide information to manufac-
turers. Actively seek state funds for workplace,
language, and skills training in the workplace.
Responsible Agencies: Mayor’s Office of Economic
Development, Chamber of Commerce, regional
employment board workforce training and skills
development organizations
(P) Develop key existing and emerging
industry sectors with growth potential that
build on Northampton’s strengths including:
publishing, software, medical/science/bio
technology, higher education, advanced tech-
nology manufacturing, creative economy,
green businesses, and tourism/retail.
Responsible Agencies: Mayor’s Office of Economic
Development, Chamber of Commerce, City Coun-
cil, Planning Board
(P) Use the Capital Improvement program to
specify the plan for building public infrastruc-
ture needed to support business development
in areas targeted for business growth (broad-
band, sewer, water, drainage, transit, roadway,
and parking).
Responsible Agencies: Mayor’s Office of Economic
Development, Mayor, Capital Improvement Com-
mittee, Board of Public Works
Re-establish the Business Outreach and Re-
tention Program to visit businesses in each
sector on a regular basis.
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive PlanResponsible Agencies: Mayor’s Office of Economic
Development, Chamber of Commerce, City Council
Economic Development & Housing Committee,
Western MA Economic Development Council.
Promote greater participation by local busi-
nesses in the Regional Employment Board
and Career Center leadership roles, pro-
grams, and activities.
Responsibility: Mayor’s Office of Economic Develop-
ment, Chamber of Commerce, Regional Employment
Board, Career Center, businesses
Institutions and non-profits
(P) Support institutional and non-profit busi-
nesses that are major employers, provide liv-
able wages, provide important public benefit,
and act as a catalyst for secondary economic
activity (e.g., education, health care, Fair-
grounds, and cultural organizations).
Responsible Agencies: Mayor’s Office of Economic
Development, Schools, Institutions, Chamber of
Commerce, Office of Planning and Development
Create business and educational collabora-
tions and support innovation and technology
transfer and commercialization to grow local
businesses and to retain creativity, entrepre-
neurship, and educated workforce from col-
leges and vocational schools in the region.
Responsible Agencies: Mayor’s Office of Economic
Development, Schools, Local Institutions, Cham-
ber of Commerce
Create collaborations with colleges to market
Northampton as an attractive place to locate
alumni businesses and to develop long-term
strategies for shared economic benefits.
Responsible Agencies: Mayor’s Office of Economic
Development, Schools, Local Institutions, Cham-
ber of Commerce
Sustainable business development
(P) Support business development and busi-
ness practices that enhance the environmen-
tal and long-term sustainability of the commu-
nity including, but not limited to, agriculture
and other land-based business, green business,
energy efficiency, and climate protection.
Responsible Agencies: Mayor’s Office of Economic
Development, Chamber of Commerce, Planning
Board, Energy Officer
(P) Balance local and regional trade with ex-
port trade to generate and equitably circulate
new wealth coming into the community.
Responsible Agencies: Mayor’s Office of Economic
Development, Chamber of Commerce, Local businesses
(P) Focus on business development that sup-
ports job creation, job opportunities, and
higher than average wages for all Northamp-
ton residents.
Responsible Agencies: Mayor’s Office of Economic
Development, City Council, Planning Board, Of-
fice of Planning and Development
(P) Focus on retaining and growing exist-
ing businesses and jobs. Develop a market-
ing campaign to attract compatible and de-
sirable businesses and increase visibility for
Northampton in regional and national mar-
kets, highlight quality of life assets as a com-
petitive advantage.
Local Institutions
The following are considered the key local
educational and health-related institutions:
Cooley-Dickinson Hospital, Smith College,
Smith Agricultural School, and the V.A.
Hospital.
CISA selected Cooley-Dickinson Hospital to receive its prestigious Local Hero Award for 2007 for their
efforts over the past two years to provide healthy, freshly prepared food in its café as well as to in-
patients using local farm products. Cooley-Dickinson performed a cost-benefit analysis and reports
that buying locally grown food directly from farmers can be cost-effective for large institutions.
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive PlanResponsible Agencies: Chamber of Commerce,
Mayor’s Office of Economic Development
(P) Seek opportunities to ensure that commer-
cial and industrial property in the City remains
affordable to a diverse range of businesses.
Responsible Agencies: Economic Development,
Planning Department
Research and provide model sustainable busi-
ness practices as a resource for the business
community.
Responsible Agencies: Mayor’s Office of Economic
Development, Chamber of Commerce, Energy Offi-
cer, Office of Planning & Development, Depart-
ment of Public Works
Support entrepreneurship with business and
financial assistance and targeted financial in-
centives where appropriate.
Responsible Agencies: Mayor’s Office of Economic
Development, Mayor, City Council
Encourage and support locally owned and op-
erated businesses and “buy local” campaigns.
Responsible Agencies: Mayor’s Office of Economic De-
velopment, Chamber of Commerce, Local businesses
Training
(P) Provide entrepreneurial training and start-
up business assistance, especially for low-in-
come and limited English speaking residents.
Responsible Agencies: Mayor’s Office of Economic
Development, Chamber of Commerce, School
Department, Adult Basic Education (ABE)
Programs, Regional Employment Board, Valley
Community Development Corporation
(P) Address ESL, literacy, adult basic educa-
tion, and social equity needs of the workforce,
especially immigrant workers, and provide
programs in community and workplace loca-
tions.
Responsible Agencies: Mayor’s Office of Economic
Development, Chamber of Commerce, School De-
partment, Institutions, ABE Programs, Regional
Employment Board
Support workforce development and train-
ing that is responsive to industry and worker
trends and needs to ensure competitiveness
in the regional and global economy, econom-
ic security/adaptability under changing eco-
nomic conditions, career advancement, and
secure standard of living/living wages.
Responsible Agencies: Mayor’s Office of Economic
Development, Chamber of Commerce, School Depart-
ment, Institutions, Regional Employment Board
Support job creation, job training and career
ladder opportunities for youth, unemployed,
under-employed, under-educated and limit-
ed English speakers.
Responsible Agencies: Mayor’s Office of Economic
Development, Chamber of Commerce, School
Department, Smith Vocational, Institutions, Re-
gional Employment Board, Casa Latina, Center
for New Americans, ESOL and adult literacy
programs
Land Inventory and Tax Base
(P) Develop key parcels to create a range of
available sites and projects (e.g., Northamp-
ton State Hospital, Rt. 10 Business Park, King
Street).
Responsible Agencies: Mayor’s Office of Economic
Development, Planning Board, Office of Plan-
ning and Development
(P) Support cleanup and redevelopment of
brownfield sites and underutilized commer-
cial/ industrial buildings including, Wire
Works, Magnat, Cutlery, Pro Corp., Hill &
Dale Mall, and Three County Fairground.
Responsible Agencies: Mayor’s Office of Economic
Development, Planning Board, property owners,
Office of Planning and Development
(P) Prevent loss of commercial/industrial
land from rezoning to residential use. Ex-
clude residential uses, in industrial districts
to prevent conflicting land uses and to maxi-
mize industrial inventory, but task the Rezon-
ing Committee to consider exclusions and
special circumstances.
Responsible Agencies: Mayor, Mayor’s Office of
Economic Development, Office of Planning &
Development, Planning Board, City Council.
Update and expand the Urban Renewal Plan
to authorize the Northampton Redevelop-
ment Authority or other public development
entity to undertake development projects in
targeted industrial and commercial areas in-
cluding but not limited to King Street, the Rt.
10 Business Park, and downtown
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive PlanResponsible Agencies: Mayor’s Office of Economic
Development, City Council, Office of Planning
and Development
Measurements of Progress:
Tax Base
Metric: Increase in the tax base
Reporting Agencies: Finance Director, Mayor,
Mayor’s Office of Economic Development
Target: Yearly increases up to 2.5% plus new
growth, as permitted by State law.
Responsibility for Target: Mayor, City Council,
Finance Director, Mayor’s Office of Economic
Development
Business Activity
Metric: Number of businesses; Number of jobs
and wages; Turnover rate for local businesses
Reporting Agencies: Mayor’s Office of Econom-
ic Development, State and Federal databases
Target: Increase value of businesses by num-
ber of jobs, wages and property valuation
Responsibility for Target: Local businesses,
Mayor’s Office of Economic Development
Training Activity
Metric: Number of individuals enrolled and
graduating in business and job training pro-
grams courses or assistance programs
Reporting Agencies: Mayor’s Office of Eco-
nomic Development, Chamber of Commerce,
School Department, Local Institutions, Job
Training Programs
Target: Increase commensurate with regional
economic growth
Responsibility for Target: Mayor’s Office of
Economic Development, Chamber of Com-
merce, School Committee, Institutions, Re-
gional Employment Board
Goal ED-3: Support a thriving
cultural and creative economy
Objectives:
1. Increase the availability of affordable stu-
dio, live-work, performance, and rehears-
al space to retain artists, cultural organi-
zations, and businesses in Northampton.
2. Develop cross connections between various
sectors within the creative economy, such as
artists, designers, museums, and new tech-
nologies, to strengthen the overall vitality.
3. Facilitate greater communication and col-
laboration among cultural organizations,
artists, the business community, non-profit
organizations and City government.
Strategies and Actions:
(P) Preserve and develop affordable arts and
performance venues in the City by:
• Creating an inventory of present spaces,
evaluating their long-term viability.
• Surveying local artists to determine de-
mand and ability to pay for spaces.
• Identifying possible venues, promote as
part of downtown redevelopment proj-
ects, and seek possible funding sources.
Responsible Agencies: Chamber of Commerce,
Mayor’s Office of Economic Development, Arts
Council, Arts Community, property owners
(P) Support and provide incentives to create
affordable live/work and studio space.
Responsible Agencies: Chamber of Commerce, Of-
fice of Planning and Development
Link creative businesses to business and finan-
cial assistance programs.
Responsible Agencies: Chamber of Commerce,
Mayor’s Office of Economic Development, Valley
Community Development Corporation
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive PlanSupport joint marketing campaigns between
cultural, retail, and hospitality sectors.
Responsible Agencies: Chamber of Commerce,
Mayor’s Office of Economic Development
(P) Create a comprehensive database of busi-
nesses and organizations in the Northampton
creative economy to determine the local asset
base and monitor status. Develop linkages
between related enterprises. Create produc-
tion and distribution mechanisms for creative
works and products to increase value and in-
come generation.
Responsible Agencies: Mayor’s Office of Economic
Development, Chamber of Commerce, Arts Coun-
cil, creative organizations and businesses.
Measurement of Progress:
Metric: Trends in number of cultural busi-
nesses, organizations, venues, revenue and
income generation.
Reporting Agencies: Mayor’s Office of Eco-
nomic Development, Chamber of Commerce,
Local Institutions
Target: Increase commensurate with regional
economic growth
Responsibility for Target: Mayor’s Office of
Economic Development, Chamber of Com-
merce, Local Institutions
See also: Arts and Culture
Goal ED-4: Provide a positive
business environment
Objectives:
1. Invest in infrastructure to support desired
business development in areas targeted
for business growth (e.g., broadband
technology, sewer, water, drainage, road-
way, parking, and transit).
2. Maintain an appropriate level of environ-
mental and community protection while
balancing the impacts of regulation on
businesses and major employers and the
economic health of the community.
3. Provide a streamlined and transparent
permitting process.
4. Support a strong partnership with the
Northampton Chamber of Commerce,
Village business associations and other
regional groups to brand Northampton
as a positive business environment.
5. Create a competitive business environ-
ment in the City to enable business invest-
ment to occur for all levels of businesses,
from start-up to corporation.
6. Foster communication and understanding
between businesses, government, and resi-
dential uses; and recognize business as an
integral part of a sustainable community.
7. Provide leadership for local and regional
economic development collaborations.
Strategies and Actions:
(P) Convene a group of business owners, insti-
tutional leaders, developers and city officials,
and stakeholders to facilitate problem solv-
ing, and make recommendations for permit
streamlining, regulatory simplification, and a
customer service approach.
What Others Say About Us
Highest Commonwealth Capital Score for Smart Growth in the state
“Number One Small Arts Community” – John Villani, 2000
Number One Best Place to Retire – “Cities Ranked & Rated: More Than 400 Metropolitan
Areas Evaluated in the U.S. & Canada” Sperling, B. and Sander, P. Wiley Publishing 2007.
“A Dozen Distinctive Destinations” by National Trust for Historic Preservation, April 2001,
www.nationaltrust.org/dozen_distinctive_destinations/2001/
“100 Best School Districts in the U.S.” by Offspring: The Magazine of Smart Parenting,
September/October 2000
“Great Places in America” for Main Street and “Putting Pedestrians First” - American
Planning Association, October 2007
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive PlanResponsible Agencies: Mayor’s Office of Economic
Development, Planning Board, Office of Plan-
ning and Development
(P) Participate in the Northeastern University
economic development self-assessment tool
process and study.
Responsible Agencies: Mayor‘s Office of Economic
Development, Office of Planning and Develop-
ment, Chamber of Commerce, other departments
as necessary.
Complete an analysis that assesses consistency
and balance between City policies in relation
to economic development, other City goals,
and financial health of the City including reg-
ulations, taxes, and fees.
Responsible Agencies: Mayor, Finance Director,
Mayor’s Office of Economic Development, All City
Departments
Prepare an evaluation on the impact of per-
mits and other fees in retaining and attracting
businesses as compared to other communities
and in relationship to development achieved.
Responsible Agencies: Mayor, Finance Director,
Economic Development Office, Office of Planning
and Development
Continue and expand regional economic de-
velopment collaborations to leverage strengths
and effectiveness locally and regionally; i.e.
Pioneer Valley Connect, Plan for Progress,
Economic Development Partners, Chamber
of Commerce, surrounding communities.
Responsible Agencies: Mayor, Mayor’s Office of
Economic Development
Measurements of Progress:
Customer Satisfaction
Metric: Business/client satisfaction in dealing
with City
Reporting Agencies: All City Departments,
Chamber of Commerce
Target: Improved relationships as determined
by ‘customer’ satisfaction
Responsibility for Target: All City Depart-
ments, Chamber of Commerce
Regional Impact
Metric: Number of decisions including re-
gional impact assessment
Reporting Agencies: Capital program report
by City Council; Land use report by Planning
Target: All decisions consider regional impact
Responsibility for Target: Mayor, City Council
Regional Agreements
Metric: Number of agreements being upheld
and enforced
Reporting Agencies: Mayor’s office
Target: One new agreement every five years
Responsibility for Target: Mayor’s office
Technology Access
Metric: Access to broadband technology and
to wireless hot spots.
Reporting Agencies: MIS, Mayor’s Office of
Economic Development
Target: Competitively priced high speed
broadband access to 100% of households and
businesses. Wireless access hot spots available
in downtown and Florence.
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive PlanResponsibility for Target: MIS, Mayor’s Office
of Economic Development
Potential Conflicts:
• Commercial rents continue to rise which
attracts investment, but many spaces are
no longer affordable to local businesses.
• The need to attract and retain a diversity
of employers, especially industrial em-
ployers, can be in conflict with the high
price of industrial space combined with
prohibitive regulations.
• The need for the City to support the ex-
pansion of major employers to bring in
additional employees, business and visi-
tors to the City consistent with the goals
of the Sustainable Northampton Plan.
• There is a strong desire for a vibrant
downtown but this also raises concerns
about problems such as traffic, parking,
and panhandling, as well as broader is-
sues of homelessness and drug use.
• There is desire for more commercial de-
velopment on King Street but differing
opinions on how development should
take place, such as pedestrian or auto ori-
ented design and uses, mixed residential
with commercial or strictly commercial
development, and so on.
• The consumer’s desire for a broad range
of products, services, and pricing can su-
persede the desire to have primarily lo-
cal businesses.
• Northampton is perceived as having a vi-
brant economy, yet the dearth of well-pay-
ing jobs causes people to live or work else-
where. The need for adequate parking for
a destination downtown area may conflict
with emissions reductions goals.
Potential Responses:
• Providing a positive business environ-
ment [ED-4] is an important step towards
promoting the presence of healthy local
businesses
• Providing the regional leadership [ED-4].
• Maintaining the public properties and
policies that support businesses [ED-1, 4]
will demonstrate Northampton’s commit-
ment to helping businesses thrive. This
also becomes a strong marketing point
for new businesses looking to locate in
Northampton.
• By creating a vibrant, thriving downtown,
[ED-1] many of the issues concerning
safety, drug use, and panhandling are re-
solved by the presence of large amounts
of people, which make the area undesir-
able for illegal activity.
• Environmental protection and climate
change goals seek a reduction in vehicle
use and travel which may be encouraged
with better parking options that support
economic development [ED-1, 4].
7Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive PlanArts and Culture
Goal AC-1: Provide quality arts and
cultural resources as a vital part of
the community
Objectives:
1. Develop greater coordination between
municipal, business, and cultural entities
on all matters related to arts, culture, and
the creative economy to strengthen the
overall vitality of the community.
2. Maintain and increase public and private
support for the arts, and cultural organi-
zations and facilities including the Arts
Council, the Academy of Music and the
Center for the Arts.
3. Build on partnerships with Smith Col-
lege, and other non-profit organizations,
to increase arts and cultural opportuni-
ties, resources and collaboration.
4. Expand the presence of public art in de-
sired locations.
5. Maintain and increase arts instruction/
enrichment to be valued as an integral
part of every child’s education in the pub-
lic school system.
6. Assist city arts organizations in an effort
to establish a collaborative system for ad-
dressing issues related to the expansion
of local cultural venues and activities.
Strategies and Actions:
(P) Develop greater cultural coordination in
the City such as an expanded municipal cul-
tural department, for example, or an umbrella
arts and cultural coordinating organization.
Responsible Agencies: Mayor, Arts Council,
Mayor’s Office of Economic Development, Arts
Community, Chamber of Commerce, City Council
Cultural Committee.
(P) Preserve and enhance arts education pro-
gramming in public schools.
Responsible Agencies: School Committee, School
Department, Arts Council, Arts Community.
Expand existing community arts calendar and
create a comprehensive website and box of-
fice in coordination with arts, municipal, and
tourism entities.
Responsible Agencies: Arts
Community, Arts Council,
Mayor’s Office of Economic
Development, Chamber of
Commerce
Create a comprehensive in-
ventory of arts organizations,
businesses, and venues.
Responsible Agencies: May-
or’s Office of Economic Development, Chamber of
Commerce, Arts Council, Arts Community
Measurement of Progress:
Metric: Number of performance and re-
hearsal spaces and galleries, number of per-
formances/showings, number of arts based
entities in the City
Reporting Agencies: Economic Development, Arts
Council, Chamber of Commerce, Northampton
Center for the Arts or other collaboration of arts
organizations
Target: Maintain or increase the number of
venues; Increase the number of performanc-
es/showings; Retain or increase the number
of arts related entities.
Responsibility for Target: Economic Development,
Arts Council, Chamber of Commerce, Arts Orga-
nizations, Arts Community
Goal AC-2: Support artists in the
community
Objectives:
1. Provide affordable living, office, presen-
tation, performance, and rehearsal space
for artists and cultural organizations in
the City.
2. Create an expanded base of business and
other community financial support for
artists, cultural organizations, and cultur-
al resources.
3. Support artists and/or arts organizations
that advocate for the arts community
and/or provide information and services
to the arts community.
8Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive Plan4. Encourage the involvement of the cul-
tural community in City planning and de-
cision-making related to quality design,
public art, and policies affecting the cul-
tural community.
Strategies and Actions:
(P) Support and provide incentives for the
private development of affordable live-work
and studio space.
Responsible Agencies: Planning Board, Office of
Planning and Development, Mayor’s Office of
Economic Development, Arts Council, Arts Com-
munity, developers, property owners
(P) Identify possible arts venues and seek to
provide incentives for private development of
venues as part of downtown redevelopment
projects.
Responsible Agencies: Mayor’s Office of Economic
Development, Office of Planning and Develop-
ment, Arts Council, Arts Community, property
owners
(P) Seek revenue sources for facilities, operat-
ing, and marketing to promote long-term sus-
tainability of cultural organizations.
Responsible Agencies: Arts organizations, Arts
Council, Mayor’s Office of Economic Develop-
ment, Chamber of Commerce.
Improve zoning to support artist live/work
space as an allowable home occupation.
Responsible Agencies: Office of Planning &
Development, Mayor’s Office of Economic Develop-
ment, Arts Community.
Improve communication between non-profit
cultural organizations and the business com-
munity related to fund-raising efforts.
Responsible Agencies: Non-profits, Chamber of
Commerce, Mayor’s Office of Economic Develop-
ment.
Investigate and pursue options for coordinat-
ing, funding and maintaining public and per-
formance art.
Responsible Agencies: Arts Council, Department
of Public Works, Mayor’s Office of Economic
Development, Arts community, Chamber of Com-
merce, City Council Cultural Committee.
Measurement of Progress:
Metric: Number of artists living and working
within the city
Reporting Agencies: Arts Council, Economic
Development, Office of Planning and Devel-
opment
Target: Maintenance and growth
Responsibility for Target: Economic Develop-
ment, Arts Council, Arts Community, develop-
ers, property owners, Housing entities
Potential Conflicts:
• The arts are critical to the vitality of
Northampton, but artists are being priced
out of living, work and exhibition/per-
formance space.
Potential Responses:
• Consider public facilities for work, exhi-
bition and performance spaces.
• Consider the options for affordable hous-
ing that allow choices for local artists.
See also: Economic Development Goal ED-3,
and Housing
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive PlanHeritage Resources
Goal HR-1: Protect and preserve
the City’s heritage resources
Objectives:
1. Identify, document and evaluate the heri-
tage resources.
2. Educate and inform decision makers and
the community about heritage resources.
3. Protect the heritage resources from deg-
radation or destruction by public or pri-
vate actions or inactions.
4. Adopt and act on preservation programs
that:
- Employ a sound basis in field survey
and archival research,
- Provide economic and technical as-
sistance to the extent feasible,
- Are coordinated with other commu-
nity policies and ordinances, and
- Operate with sound and explicit
standards, guidelines, criteria, and
administrative procedures.
Strategies and Actions:
Conduct field and archival surveys to locate,
document, and evaluate unrecorded heritage
resources, as well as to update information on
resources identified in past studies or surveys.
Responsible Agencies: Northampton Historical
Commission, Office of Planning and Develop-
ment, Pioneer Valley Regional Planning Commis-
sion, Historic Northampton, Library System
Increase the level of public participation in
heritage resource identification and preserva-
tion, including involvement with local schools
and colleges.
Responsible Agencies: Northampton Historical
Commission, Office of Planning and Develop-
ment, Northampton School System, 5 Colleges
Network, Historic Northampton
Inform the community about heritage re-
sources with displays, markers, publications,
and public presentations undertaken coop-
eratively with concerned community organi-
zations and the media.
Responsible Agencies: Northampton Historical
Commission, Historic Northampton, Office of
Planning and Development,
Greater Northampton Cham-
ber of Commerce
Provide training oppor-
tunities for City officials,
boards, and staff to in-
crease awareness of heri-
tage resources and preser-
vation programs.
Responsible Agencies: Mas-
sachusetts Historical Commission, Northampton
Historical Commission, Office of Planning and
Development, Historic Northampton, Pioneer Val-
ley Regional Planning Commission
Recognize with an award program the re-
search, publication, communication, resto-
ration, or rehabilitation projects or activities
that contribute to the awareness and preserva-
tion of heritage resources in the City.
Responsible Agencies: Northampton Historical
Commission, Office of Planning and Development
Promote and encourage the protection and
preservation of significant heritage resources
by listing eligible properties on the National
Register of Historic Places.
Responsible Agencies: Northampton Historical
Commission, Pioneer Valley Regional Planning
Commission, Office of Planning and Develop-
ment, Historic Northampton
Encourage private landowners to establish
historic preservation restrictions and open
space/conservation easements by working
with the city, local non-profit land trusts, or
state/national entities authorized to hold
easements for the purpose of heritage re-
source preservation.
Responsible Agencies: Community Preservation
Committee, Northampton Historical Commission,
Office of Planning and Development
Provide information to decision makers and
the community on loans, grants, tax advantag-
es, and other financial incentives that may be
available from federal, state, non-profit, and
private sources to property owners for the res-
toration or rehabilitation of heritage resourc-
es in private or public ownership.
0Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive PlanResponsible Agencies: Northampton Historical
Commission, Office of Planning and Development,
Pioneer Valley Regional Planning Commission
Acquire significant heritage resources, when
feasible, to be incorporated into the City’s
public areas or park system for purposes of re-
source protection as well as public education
and enjoyment.
Responsible Agencies: Community Preservation
Committee, Northampton Historical Commission,
Office of Planning and Development, Recreation
Commission
Protect the City’s historic and architectur-
ally significant neighborhoods and areas by
maintaining current local historic and design
review districts, design guidelines, and admin-
istrative procedures, as well as establishing ad-
ditional such districts as appropriate.
Responsible Agencies: Northampton Histori-
cal Commission, Central Business Architecture
Committee, Elm Street Historic District Commis-
sion, Planning Board, Office of Planning and
Development
Protect the City’s heritage resources from deg-
radation or destruction by public or private
actions or inactions by maintaining the City’s
demolition delay ordinance and by working
with affected property owners to identify,
within the mandated timeframe, feasible and
appropriate alternatives to demolition.
Responsible Agencies: Northampton Historical
Commission, Elm Street Historic District Commis-
sion, Central Business Architecture Committee,
City Council, Planning Board, Office of Plan-
ning and Development
Measurement of Progress:
Metric: Number of heritage resources identi-
fied, documented, and protected
Reporting Agencies: Northampton Historical
Commission, Office of Planning and Develop-
ment
Target: Implement a comprehensive heritage
resource inventory process by increasing the
number of resources identified, documented,
and protected each year
Responsibility for Target: Northampton His-
torical Commission, Office of Planning and
Development
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive PlanHousing
Goal H-1: Create new housing
Objectives:
1. Provide developers with options that al-
low them to build at higher densities in
return for creating more affordable hous-
ing units.
2. Adopt regulations to increase the num-
ber of projects involving mixed-income
housing that result in housing affordable
to all ranges of income, especially in the
downtown area.
3. Look beyond traditional marketplace mod-
els to create affordable housing options.
4. Utilize green and sustainable design
funding opportunities for affordable
housing.
5. Create incentives for private housing
developers to act on housing program
goals.
6. Create new home ownership opportu-
nities and development resources for
households with incomes between 80%
and 120% of the area median income
Area Median Income [AMI].
7. Create home ownership opportunities
for households earning at or below 80%
of AMI.
8. Create rental housing options especially
for households with income at or below
60% of AMI.
9. Expand the range of options for detached
housing, such as cottage housing devel-
opment to increase
density in designated
locations.
10. Assess the demand
for, and availability of,
housing for all sectors
of the City’s popula-
tion and respond with
appropriate strategies,
including:
- Housing that meets
the needs of special
populations, particularly the disabled
- Housing that meets of the needs of el-
derly residents who are not eligible for
public housing
Strategies and Actions:
Identify market pressures and conditions that
restrict affordable housing.
Responsible Agencies: Housing Partnership,
Housing Authority, Community Preservation
Committee, Office of Planning and Development,
Planning Board
Advance options to increase production of
affordable housing, including zoning incen-
tives (e.g. TDR, inclusionary zoning) and gap
funding.
Responsible Agencies: Housing Partnership, Hous-
ing Authority, Community Preservation Committee,
Office of Planning and Development, Planning
Board, Zoning Board, (future) Rezoning Committee
Develop a list of innovative funding mecha-
nisms to keep the costs of housing affordable,
and provide it to all housing developers.
Responsible Agencies: Affordable Housing Trust,
Housing Partnership, Housing Authority, Com-
munity Preservation Committee, Office of Plan-
ning and Development
Area Median Income
Northampton
1999 Census 1.
Springfield MSA
2000 Census 2.
Springfield MSA
2007 est. 3.
AMI $41,808 $50,930 $61,800
60% of AMI 25,085 30,558 43,020
80% of AMI 33,446 40,744 57,350
120% of AMI 50,170 61,116 74,160
Sources: 1. MISER, 2. Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council, 3. HUD
The Housing Wage
The amount a person working full-time
has to earn to afford the fair market rent
on a two-bedroom unit while paying no
more than 30 percent of income in rent
[Massachusetts Housing Partnership] National
Low Income Housing Coalition estimated this
at $22.65 per hour for Massachusetts in 2006.
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive PlanCreate rental units affordable especially to
households with incomes at or below 60% of
AMI.
Responsible Agencies: Housing Partnership,
Housing Authority, Community Preservation
Committee, Planning Department, Planning
Board
Create ownership units affordable to house-
holds with incomes between 80% and 120%
of AMI.
Responsible Agencies: Housing Partnership,
Community Preservation Committee, Planning
Department, Planning Board
Create ownership units affordable to house-
holds with incomes at or below 80% of AMI.
Responsible Agencies: Housing Partnership, Hous-
ing Authority, Community Preservation Commit-
tee, Planning Department, Planning Board
Research existing zoning and identify suit-
able locations for development of new Single
Room Occupancy (SRO) units.
Responsible Agencies: Planning and Develop-
ment, Planning Board, Housing Partnership
Increase numbers of SRO units, especially en-
hanced SROs.
Responsible Agencies: Housing Partnership,
Housing Authority, Community Preservation
Committee, Office of Planning and Development,
Planning Board
Make city funding available for the “local
match” funding needed by affordable hous-
ing developers.
Responsible Agencies: Community Preservation Com-
mittee, Housing Partnership, Mayor, Office of Plan-
ning and Development, Affordable Housing Trust
Lobby at state level to increase funding for
green development in housing production
programs.
Responsible Agencies: Mayor, Office of Plan-
ning and Development, City Council, Housing
Partnership
Develop a community education program to
promote these goals.
Responsible Agencies: Housing Partnership, Com-
munity Preservation Committee
Work with financial institutions to offer fi-
nancing incentives to enable an increased use
of sustainable technology by city residents and
businesses, such as green mortgages.
Responsible agencies: Mayor, City Council, Hous-
ing Partnership
Lobby to continue the Federal energy tax
credit programs.
Responsible agencies: Mayor, City Council, Hous-
ing Partnership
Work with Valley CDC to continue to support
first-time homebuyer programs and post-pur-
chase education.
Responsible Agencies: Housing Partnership, Office
of Planning and Development
Determine if there are any regulatory changes
that would facilitate the development of af-
fordable live-work space to attract and retain
artists (and start-up businesses) in the City.
Responsible Agencies: Planning Board, Mayor’s
Office, Economic Development, Chamber of Com-
merce, Arts Council
Measurement of Progress:
Metrics:
• Number of affordable housing units created
• Number of units created, and/or num-
ber of projects supported, by Community
Development Block Grant or Community
Preservation Act funds
• Number of enhanced SRO created
• Increase in number of 40B subsidized
housing inventory units
• Number of community housing educa-
tion programs
• Adoption of zoning ordinances that in-
creases production of affordable housing.
Reporting Agencies: Housing Partnership,
Office of Planning and Development, Com-
munity Preservation Committee
Target: Range of unit costs corresponding to
income levels in Northampton
Responsibility for Target: Mayor, City Council,
Housing Partnership, Planning Board, Com-
munity Preservation Committee, Office of
Planning and Development
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive PlanPotential Conflicts:
• The diverse community is hampered by
Northampton’s success as a desirable
place to live thereby contributing to de-
creased affordability and diversity. There
is a desire to be welcoming to outsiders,
but without pushing out working families
and long-term Northampton residents.
• There is a desire for more businesses, jobs
and diverse housing options at a range of
affordability levels, but new development
can conflict with a desire to preserve open
space, wildlife habitat and corridors, and
agriculture.
Potential Responses:
• Enforce inclusive development policies
that require mixing affordable housing
with market rate units at a set standard to
be developed by the City. For example,
all new developments might include 20%
of the units to be affordable (as defined
as for individuals with at or below 80% of
the area median income).
• Increase residential densities in the village
centers and downtown areas to provide
density where infrastructure will support it
and where it meets smart growth goals.
See also: Land Use, Economic Development,
Arts and Culture Goals
Goal H-2: Preserve and sustain
existing affordable housing
Objectives:
1. Preserve existing rental housing stock to
facilitate availability and price stability.
2. Create a climate of support, within all de-
partments of City government, for landlords
who are participating, or who could partici-
pate, in a partnership to preserve “market-
rate affordable” units as rental units.
3. Identify the present affordable housing at
risk (e.g. “expiring use” and rentals that
might be converted to condominiums)
and work with property owners and oth-
ers to identify and secure funding sources
to preserve the units as affordable.
4. Sustain and improve existing SRO units.
5. Develop ways to sustain and build the Af-
fordable Housing Trust Fund.
6. Sustain and expand housing rehabilita-
tion programs.
Strategies and Actions:
Define a city policy, and appropriate actions,
and identify a representative to work with own-
ers/managers of existing units to preserve af-
fordability
Responsible Agencies: Office of Planning and De-
velopment, Mayor’s Office, Housing Partnership
Target housing rehabilitation programs to co-
incide with neighborhood revitalization efforts
Responsible Agencies: Office of Planning and
Development, Planning Board
Research and identify a new administrator for
housing rehabilitation programs
Responsible Agencies: Office of Planning and
Development Office, Housing Partnership
Measurement of Progress:
Metrics:
• Number of affordable housing units pre-
served
• Decreased number of rental housing
units lost
• Number of affordable units rehabilitated
• Decrease number of conversions from af-
fordable
• Number of units, and number of projects,
preserved via CDBG and/or Committee
Preservation Act funds
Reporting Agencies: Affordable Housing
Trust, Housing Partnership, Office of Plan-
ning and Development, Council on Aging
Target: Range of unit costs corresponding to
income levels in Northampton, decrease in
conversions from affordable to market-rate
condominiums
Responsibility for Target: Mayor, City Council,
Housing Partnership, Planning Board, Com-
munity Preservation Committee
Goal H-3: Work to end
homelessness
Objectives:
1. Increase focus on prevention to decrease
the numbers of those becoming homeless
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive Plan2. Increase the supply of affordable, sup-
portive housing to quickly re-house those
who do become homeless
3. Broaden the community dialogue, be-
yond the social services community, re-
garding root causes of homelessness and
possible solutions
4. Articulate services currently available for
food and shelter, identify service gaps, fill
those gaps
Strategies and Actions:
Continue to support participation and facilita-
tion of the Three County Continuum of Care,
the regional homeless services planning ef-
fort. (City of Northampton serves as the lead
agency/ since 1997)
Responsible Agencies: Mayor, City Council, Hous-
ing Partnership, Office of Planning and Develop-
ment, Next Step Collaborative
Participate in “Pioneer Valley 10 Year Plan to
End Homelessness,” Co-chaired by Mayor Hig-
gins and Holyoke Mayor Sullivan (launched
April 27, 2007 to be completed for 2008) with
participation of providers and residents on
workgroups on Affordable Housing, Stabiliza-
tion and Prevention, Mainstream Resources,
Data and Research, Chronic Homelessness,
and Building Leadership to End Homeless-
ness
Responsible Agencies: Mayor, Housing Partner-
ship, Office of Planning and Development, Next
Step Collaborative
Support the Tenancy Preservation Program to
maintain housing for those households at risk
for homelessness.
Responsible Agencies: Mayor, Housing Partner-
ship, Office of Planning and Development, Next
Step Collaborative
Create 4 to 6 units of “safe-haven” housing in
Northampton to house the chronically home-
less, create new SRO units, and rehabilitate
the Grove Street Inn.
Responsible Agencies: Mayor, Housing Partner-
ship, Office of Planning and Development, Next
Step Collaborative
Work with the Greater Northampton Cham-
ber of Commerce, and the Regional
Employment Boards to address economic de-
velopment and poverty issues.
Responsible Agencies: Mayor, Housing Partner-
ship, Office of Planning and Development, Next
Step Collaborative
Measurement of Progress:
Metric: Shorter stays in the homeless shelters
and increased numbers of people moving into
permanent housing
Reporting Agencies: Three County Continu-
um of Care, Housing Partnership, Office of
Planning and Development
Target: Creation and maintenance of service
delivery system that provides food and shelter
to those in need; increased food resources
and supported housing programs for the
chronically homeless
Responsibility for Target: Mayor, Housing
Partnership, Office of Planning and Develop-
ment, Housing Authority, Next Step Collab-
orative.
Potential Conflicts:
• Until there is a sufficient inventory of af-
fordable housing, jobs that pay a living
wage, affordable health care and access
to mainstream resources, homelessness
cannot be ended.
Potential Response:
• All sectors of the national, regional, and
local communities need to accept this re-
alization and adopt this approach, rather
than looking to the human service pro-
viders, in isolation, to end homelessness.
City Social Services for Housing
The City currently has:
• Five homeless shelters
• Transitional housing
• Housing for mentally ill adults
• Other support services
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive PlanInfrastructure and Capital Resources
Goal IC-1: Ensure the capital
improvement program is
coordinated with Sustainable
Northampton plan goals and
objectives
Objectives:
1. Continue the five-year strategic plan for
capital improvements.
2. Align the yearly review process for the
capital program with other City plans.
3. Establish capital and infrastructure im-
provement programs that match with
planned development areas.
4. Extend or provide infrastructure im-
provement projects to support develop-
ment projects that meet City goals.
5. Coordinate the annual review with an
analysis of cost effectiveness.
6. Ensure that the capital improvement plan
is developed and implemented in a con-
sistent and transparent fashion to meet
the most pressing needs across the City.
7. Maintain and increase general fund allo-
cation to support planned future capital
projects from 2.1% yearly to 5% yearly.
Strategies and Actions:
Develop capital improvements requests to
identify and prioritize transportation improve-
ments that support this plan and economic
development.
Responsible Agencies: Capital Improvement Com-
mittee
Monitor the status of infrastructure and be
sure to schedule upgrades and replacements
with service levels matching the Future Land
Use Map and according to desired develop-
ment patterns and density.
Responsible Agencies: Capital Improvement Com-
mittee, Department of Public Works
Assess municipal and school
facility needs and establish a
capital program for action.
Responsible Agencies: Capi-
tal Improvement Committee,
School Department
See also: Energy and Envi-
ronment Goal EEC-1
Measurements of Progress:
Budget Review
Metric: Conformance with Sustainable
Northampton
Reporting Agencies: Mayor, All City Departments
Target: One hundred percent conformance
Responsibility for Target: All City Departments
Capital Allocations
Metric: Amount allocated for planned, future
capital projects
Reporting Agency: Finance Director
Target: Raise from 2.1% to 5% of yearly budget
Responsibility for Target: Mayor, City Council
See also: Municipal Governance and Finan-
cial Stability Goals
Goal IC-2: Program and utilize
public buildings for maximum
efficiency and availability
Objectives:
1. Establish a collaborative administration
of city buildings and facilities to maximize
Jobs-Housing Balance
Choices for job and housing locations are closely linked to the resulting impact on the
transportation system for journeys to work. Ideally, if the right housing and jobs choices are
available, and people can choose to both live and work in one area, congestion could be
relieved and the community would achieve a jobs-housing balance. Other benefits would
accrue to household budgets from reduced travel costs.
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive Planutilization of space, improve operational
efficiencies, and ensure a transparent
process for public use of public facilities.
Strategies and Actions:
Prepare a list of all public buildings with their
public meeting spaces and facilities, and cre-
ate a public schedule that is managed through
City Hall with the School Department to allow
more complete utilization of the facilities.
Responsible Agencies: Central Services, Libraries,
Department of Public Works, School Department,
Smith Vocational and Agricultural School
Measurement of Progress:
Metric: Efficiency of space utilization
Reporting Agency: Facilities managers
Target: Full utilization in accordance with ac-
commodations
Responsibility for Target: Facilities managers,
Central Services, All City Departments
See also: Energy and Environment Goal EEC-2
Goal IC-3: Upgrade the City’s aging
stormwater management system
Objectives:
1. Develop and implement a plan to repair
and replace aging infrastructure through-
out the City.
2. Include ‘low impact’ and National Pollution
Discharge Elimination System drainage im-
provements concurrently with any pave-
ment management program or project.
3. Invest in stormwater management im-
provements.
4. Ensure investments in stormwater are
distributed by comparable infrastruc-
ture needs.
Strategies and Actions:
Complete an engineering assessment on the
ability to meet present and future storm wa-
ter management requirements. Include low
impact and green design considerations in
the assessment. Create a long-term priority
improvement plan.
Responsible Agencies: Board of Public Works,
Department of Public Works
Establish a yearly budget with priorities and
schedule for upgrading the systems.
Responsible Agencies: Board of Public Works,
Department of Public Works
Explore model programs for funding mainte-
nance and improvement of storm water systems.
Responsible Agencies: Department of Public
Works, Board of Public Works
Continue funding for stormwater manage-
ment and oversight.
Responsible Agencies: Department of Public
Works, Board of Public Works
Continue compliance with federal storm wa-
ter standards and management.
Responsible Agencies: Department of Public
Works, Board of Public Works
Measurement of Progress:
Metric: Number of projects completed on the
priority improvement plan
Reporting Agencies: Department of Public
Works, Health Department, Office of Plan-
ning and Development
Target: Continued investment in stormwater
upgrades
Responsibility for Target: Board of Public
Works, Board of Health, Planning Board
7Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive PlanTransportation
Goal T-1: Ensure the safe and
efficient transportation of goods
and people by motor vehicles,
bicycle, foot, and any other means
Objectives:
1. Maintain an efficient transportation system.
2. Maintain a transportation system that reduc-
es air pollution and minimizes congestion.
3. Ensure that environmental impacts are
considered and adverse effects are mini-
mized on all transportation projects.
4. Reduce use of single occupancy vehicles.
5. Ensure that safety is a primary goal in
transportation improvements, systems,
and operations, both to reduce crashes
and to ensure that both vehicular and
non-vehicular modes of traffic are safe
and attractive to all users on all roads.
6. Participate in regional efforts to improve
utilization of intelligent transportation
systems.
7. Develop a public transit plan in coordina-
tion with Pioneer Valley Transit Authority
and Pioneer Valley Planning Commission.
8. Ensure that the needs of transit services,
bicycle, pedestrian, and wheelchairs are
considered and addressed in the design,
construction, and management of every
project affecting the transportation sys-
tem. See also OS-4
See also: Energy and Environment Goals EEC-
2, EEC-3, and EEC-4
Strategies and Actions:
Inventories and data
The Police Department’s Safety Officer shall
prepare an annual report on motor vehicle
collisions, their location, and whether per-
sonal injury is involved. Share relevant crash
data with other city boards and departments
whenever requested.
Responsible Agency: Police Department
Maintain an in-house pavement management
system to inform pavement management de-
cisions and ensure an objective decision mak-
ing process.
Responsible Agency: Department of Public Works
Department of Public
Works should provide the
Transportation and Park-
ing Commission, Board of
Public Works, Mayor, and
City Council with annual
lists of street and intersec-
tions, which are planned
for design or construction
to aid in multi-board/de-
partment communica-
tions.
Responsible Agency: Department of Public Works
(P) Intersection design
The following considerations enhance pe-
destrian safety to encourage walkability, and
should be included in all intersection studies
and designs:
• Intersection improvements designed to
increase traffic, speed, and volume (de-
crease queuing times) should ensure
the safety of pedestrians and cyclists and
should be carefully weighed against any
loss of green space and tree canopy, any
increase in stormwater runoff, and any
detrimental impacts on neighborhoods,
adjoining streets, and private property.
• When designing for truck movements
(such as specified by MassHighway), avoid
excessively wide intersections through
the use of appropriate mitigation such as
mountable curbs, mountable pedestrian
islands, raised pedestrian crossings, and/
or alternate truck routes when possible.
• Include an analysis of the suitability of
roundabouts and mini-roundabouts dur-
ing the preliminary engineering analysis
for all intersections being considered
for significant reconstruction, realign-
ment, signalization, and four-way stops.
Roundabouts are the favored intersec-
tion treatment for safety, efficiency, and
environmental reasons, when appropri-
ate. The Board of Public Works and the
Transportation and Parking Commission
shall be consulted before making any de-
termination not to add a roundabout or
mini-roundabout.
• Ensure that all new and existing traffic
signals incorporate audible pedestrian
signals (dedicated pedestrian-only phase,
8Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive Planpedestrian activated pedestrian-only
phase, or a shared phase). Create a prior-
itized list of existing traffic signals where
pedestrian signals are desired. Installa-
tion of pedestrian signals shall be made
as funding becomes available. Where no
pedestrian infrastructure (sidewalks) cur-
rently exists, traffic signal equipment shall
be installed that will allow for future pedes-
trian signalization. In deciding what kind
of traffic signal to use, consider shared pe-
destrian phases (where pedestrians cross
with parallel vehicle traffic) as well as full
stop phases in order to minimize delays
for both drivers and pedestrians.
Responsible Agencies: Board of Public Works,
Transportation and Parking Commission, Plan-
ning Board
(P) Traffic calming
Examine all unsafe intersections, areas of
excessive speeds, and areas where neighbor-
hoods perceive a loss of quality of life to con-
sider possible traffic calming efforts. Draft a
policy for identifying areas that need traffic
calming (see Transportation Plan).
Responsible Agencies: Board of Public Works,
Planning Board Office of Planning and Develop-
ment
Draft and implement traffic calming mea-
sures that will apply to subdivision and zoning
standards for major site plan approval regula-
tions.
Responsible Agencies: Board of Public Works,
Planning Board, Committee on Disabilities, Of-
fice of Planning and Development
Ensure that the design of all new, reconstruct-
ed, and reclaimed streets considers incorpo-
rating appropriate traffic calming measures,
in consultation with the Board of Public
Works and the Transportation and Parking
Commission.
Responsible Agencies: Transportation and Park-
ing, Board of Public Works, Planning Board
Develop a complete list of locations where
traffic calming measures might be needed
within the city. Use the first several projects to
develop traffic calming model (both methods
and community outreach and involvement)
that can be used elsewhere in the city. Use
this to help implement traffic calming mea-
sures elsewhere in the City.
Responsible Agencies: Transportation and Park-
ing, Department of Public Works, Office of Plan-
ning and Development
(P) Sidewalks
Create a sidewalk management program mod-
eled on the successful pavement management
program to inventory sidewalks, sidewalk con-
ditions, sidewalk usage, and to identify priori-
ties for new or restored sidewalks.
Responsible Agencies: Department of Public
Works, Office of Planning and Development
Determine whether Chapter 90 monies should
be used for sidewalks or remain committed
only for street improvements. Determine
whether any other funds are available and if
they are sufficient for the sidewalk program;
then act accordingly.
Responsible Agencies: Transportation and Park-
ing Commission, Department of Public Works,
Office of Planning and Development
Provide sidewalks on all roads within one
mile of all schools. For possible funding look
into applying for the FHWA’s Safe Routes to
Schools program.
Responsible Agencies: Transportation and Park-
ing Commission, Board of Public Works, Plan-
ning Board
Ensure that all developers provide sidewalks
when necessary to serve their projects.
Responsible Agencies: Transportation and Park-
ing, Board of Public Works, Planning Board
Ensure that all new and reconstructed streets
include sidewalks, unless there are right-of-
way or engineering issues, or the rural nature
of a street makes it not feasible. (The rural
or urban nature of a street is based on pro-
jected traffic and development density when
the street is built-out) When sidewalks are
installed no consultation with the Board of
Public Works or Transportation and Park-
Sidewalks and Bikeways
For planning, cost for sidewalk construction
is about $30 per foot (8-foot wide concrete
sidewalk) and for bikeways it is about $20
per foot (10-foot wide asphalt). So, at 1500
feet for each per year, the cost would be
$45,000 and $30,000 per year.
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive Planing Commission is necessary. Otherwise, the
Board of Public Works and the Transportation
and Parking Commission shall be consulted
before any determination is made not to add
such a sidewalk.
Responsible Agencies: Transportation and Park-
ing, Board of Public Works, Planning Board
Add wheelchair ramps and pavement mark-
ings necessary to make all sidewalks accessible
for people with mobility disabilities.
Responsible Agencies: Committee on Disabilities,
Department of Public Works, Office of Planning
and Development
See also: Open Space goal OS-4
Create and update a prioritized list of routes
where sidewalks, curb extensions, raised in-
tersections and other sidewalk improvements
are desired and are ready to take advantage of
funding and construction opportunities. In-
stall such improvements as funding allows.
Responsible Agencies: Transportation and Park-
ing, Department of Public Works, Office of Plan-
ning and Development
Educate the public and enforce requirements
to ensure the safety of sidewalks, including ex-
isting requirements that affect property own-
ers abutting sidewalks. Some of these require-
ments include: clearing snow from sidewalks
after a storm, with a priority on sidewalks in
commercial areas and along arterial and col-
lector streets (Section 19-19, Northampton
Code of Ordinances); and controlling brush
from growing over sidewalks or blocking vis-
ibility at intersections.
Responsible Agencies: Transportation and Park-
ing, Committee on Disabilities, Department of
Public Works, Office of Planning and Develop-
ment
Enforce existing traffic and sidewalk regula-
tions, ordinances, and statutes in order to
promote safety.
Responsible Agencies: Transportation and Park-
ing, Board of Public Works, Planning Board,
Police Department
Signage
When funds become available, prepare a sign
inventory and implement a plan to bring sig-
nage and crosswalks into conformance with
the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control De-
vices (MUTCD). Signage related to marked
crosswalks is the first priority.
Responsible Agencies: Transportation and Park-
ing, Board of Public Works, Planning Board
Snow clearing
Clear snow to provide reasonably safe driving
and biking conditions and access to public
transit stops. The level of service achievable
will be based on the resources the City is able
and willing to allocate.
Responsible Agencies: Transportation and Park-
ing, Department of Public Works
Measurement of Progress:
Metric: Percent of streets considered safe for
pedestrians, Number of crosswalks painted,
Number of intersection safety improvements
Reporting Agencies: Transportation and
Parking, Public Works, Police, Department of
Public Works, Office of Planning and Devel-
opment
Target: One hundred percent considered safe
for pedestrians
Responsibility for Target: Board of Public
Works, Planning Board
Potential Conflicts:
• Certain forms of travel, such as skateboards
and motorized scooters, have become con-
troversial because of perceived incompat-
ibility with more dominant modes.
Potential Responses:
• Bring the user groups into public dialog,
either in community meetings or in the
schools, to obtain trust, cooperation, and
understanding.
Goal T-2: Improve circulation
system to accommodate
development and encourage
bicycle and pedestrian transit
Objectives:
1. Ensure that all new privately built streets
include sidewalks, consistent with the
0Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive PlanNorthampton Subdivision Regulations.
When feasible and practical, concrete
sidewalks on two sides of a street are most
desirable.
2. Calm traffic to preserve pedestrian safe-
ty and encourage pedestrian activity in
neighborhoods and villages. See Also:
Transportation Goal T-1 Traffic Calming
3. Transform the Northampton Bike Path
and Norwottuck Bike paths/multi-use
trail into a complete rail-trail network.
4. Ensure that economic development goals
are considered and balanced with other
City goals in all transportation objectives,
decisions, and improvements
5. Upgrade transportation and public utili-
ties to facilitate expansion of the commer-
cial/industrial site inventory in identified
growth areas
6. Ensure pedestrian, bicycle, non-motor-
ized travel, and transit are addressed in
every development project.
7. Ensure that public transit stops are lo-
cated at industrial parks and commercial
centers.
Strategies and Actions:
Incentives and Fees
Clarify the basis for calculating in-lieu of traf-
fic improvement fees and include incentives
for projects that are within 500m (walking dis-
tance) to basic services, Florence, Downtown,
and public transit.
Responsible Agencies: Planning Board, Trans-
portation and Parking, Office of Planning and
Development
Design for bicycles
Design roadway improvements with consider-
ation that “a bicyclist should be expected to
be riding on any roadway [and a pedestrian
walking along the roadway], and therefore
should be accommodated” (Building Better
Bicycling, MassHighway, 1999).
Responsible Agencies: Transportation and Park-
ing, Department of Public Works, Office of Plan-
ning and Development
Complete a survey and replacement program
to ensure catch basin covers are in a “bicycle-
safe” format.
Responsible Agencies: Transportation and Park-
ing, Department of Public Works
Develop a comprehensive citywide bicycle
system including existing and planned off-
road bicycle paths, on-road bicycle lanes, and
safe on-road bicycle routes. On-road bicycle
routes and lanes that provide direct access to
the growing rail-trail network and to urban
core areas should receive a high priority. The
system should include supporting services,
such as signage, bicycle storage, and bicycle
system maps and information.
Responsible Agencies: Transportation and Park-
ing, Board of Public Works, Department of Public
Works, Planning Board, Office of Planning and
Development
Add marked bicycle lanes to all surface arte-
rial, collector, and federal aid roads whenever
feasible; i.e., all surface roads except local
roads.
Responsible Agencies: Transportation and Park-
ing, Board of Public Works
Transform the Northampton Bike Path and
Norwottuck Bike paths/multi-use trail into a
complete bike paths/multi-use trail network
with construction funding from federal, state
and local sources. Design, permitting, and
land acquisition will be completed locally. See
also: Bike paths/multi-use trail Network map
Responsible Agencies: Transportation and Park-
ing, Board of Public Works, Department of Public
Works, Office of Planning and Development
Educate the public about the rights and respon-
sibilities of bicyclists, to the extent that finan-
cial resources allow. Consider a bicycle safety
curriculum at all school levels. Maintain web-
based information on transportation facilities
and transportation users’ rights and responsi-
bilities. Consider use of community television
channel and newspapers to carry relevant sto-
ries and public service announcements.
Responsible Agencies: Transportation and Park-
ing, Department of Public Works, Office of Plan-
ning and Development
Increase the number of official walking routes
throughout the city.
Responsible Agencies: Transportation and Park-
ing, Board of Public Works, Planning Board
Improve traffic congestion
Traffic congestion problems should generally
be addressed by providing and enhancing alter-
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive Plannatives to single-occupancy vehicles, rather than
by adding roads or road lanes. The long-term
effect on “induced traffic” (individuals’ deci-
sion to drive on a particular road or route en-
couraged by perceived low congestion) should
be carefully considered whenever roadways
are reconfigured or widened in an attempt to
relieve congestion. When enhancing intersec-
tions, as opposed to roadways, the City’s goal is
to avoid inducing additional traffic while reduc-
ing intersection queuing times, avoid polluting
idling and to allow smooth flow of traffic.
Responsible Agencies: Transportation and Park-
ing, Board of Public Works, Planning Board
Roadways should be designed to be environ-
mentally sensitive, to the extent feasible, with
elements such as tree belts and curbs designed
to improve the human environment and re-
duce impact on the natural environment.
Responsible Agencies: Transportation and Park-
ing, Board of Public Works, Planning Board,
Department of Public Works, Office of Planning
and Development
Avoid creating cul-de-sacs and dead ends
when possible and instead create a network of
streets. Dead end streets, while desirable to
some residents, add significantly to the deliv-
ery of city services and increases traffic flows
to other local streets. Design streets to avoid
creating new high-speed short cuts through
residential neighborhoods.
Responsible Agencies: Transportation and Park-
ing, Board of Public Works, Planning Board,
Department of Public Works, Office of Planning
and Development
TDM
Incorporate reasonable steps to reduce peak-
hour single-occupancy vehicle trips for new
projects. Transportation demand manage-
ment (TDM) techniques will be tailored to
suit individual project needs, user needs, and
the overall feasibility of the project while ad-
dressing City TDM goals. This may include:
• Capital improvements (e.g., sidewalks, bi-
cycle lanes, non-motorized trails and con-
nections, bus stops, car pool parking);
• Incentives for low-impact transportation
(e.g., transit, car pooling, cycling, and
walking) along with reduced incentives
for single-occupancy vehicles (e.g., be-
low-cost employee parking);
• Policies to redistribute traffic impacts
(e.g., set employee hours to avoid peak
hour commutes);
• Support for private, shared vehicle ser-
vices.
Responsible Agencies: Transportation and Park-
ing, Board of Public Works, Planning Board,
Department of Public Works, Office of Planning
and Development
Measurements of Progress:
Bicycles and Pedestrians
Metric:
• Length and locations of bikeways and
sidewalks,
• Bike paths/multi-use trails within ½ mile
of 70% of households,
• Bicycle lanes within ½ mile of 85% of
households
• Percent of streets with sidewalks/side-
walks safe to walk on/within a mile of
schools,
• Percent of children able to walk to
school,
• Percent of population able to get basic
services without driving.
Reporting Agencies: Department of Public
Works, Office of Planning and Development
Target: Increase bike lanes connecting to
schools, commercial areas and neighbor-
hoods by 4% per year; Improve or add 1500
feet of sidewalk per year
Responsibility for Target: Board of Public
Works, Department of Public Works, Planning
Board, Transportation and Parking Commis-
sion, Parking Manager, Office of Planning
and Development
Bicycle improvements
The City has:
• Three bike lanes (formal on Elm and
South Street, informal on King Street)
• Bike Paths (Northampton Bike Path,
Norwottuck in Northampton, Ice Pond/
Rocky Hill spur)
• Bike Paths under design (6 miles)
• Bike racks downtown
• Bike lockers at Sheldon Field
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive PlanCongestion
Metric: Average commute time, Number of
workforce commuter miles, Number of SOV
commuters/# carpooling
Reporting Agencies: Transportation and Park-
ing Commission, Office of Planning and De-
velopment
Target: Reduced commuting time and miles,
increased number of carpoolers
Responsibility for Target: Commuters
Transportation Demand Management (TDM)
Metric: Number of new TDM measures imple-
mented
Reporting Agencies: Transportation and Park-
ing Commission, Office of Planning and De-
velopment
Target: Where the businesses generate more
than 500 trips per day, new TDM measures ap-
plied to existing businesses each year, and all
new businesses to institute TDM
Responsibility for Target: Transportation and
Parking Commission, PVTA, PVPC, and the
Planning Board, Office of Planning and De-
velopment
Goal T-3: Improve and expand
public transit
Objectives:
1. Leverage regional collaborations to in-
crease funding for provision of public
transit services, including shuttles where
appropriate.
2. Consider transportation associations that
include memberships of local businesses
and government to support public transit.
3. Develop Transit Oriented Development
guidelines with incentives.
4. Encourage increased use of transit op-
tions.
5. Provide reasonable options for public
transit based on need, cost, and funding.
6. Develop a public transit plan in coopera-
tion with the PVTA and PVPC to expand
and enhance the transit system to the lev-
el that it is economically viable and sup-
ported by ridership.
7. Participate in regional efforts to consider
the expansion of passenger rail service
along the North-South rail links with ser-
vice to Northampton.
Strategies and Actions:
(P) Develop minimum requirements for all
bus stop signs, including safety and size, ADA
accessibility and posting. Streamline ordi-
nance process for bus stops. Locate bus stops
on major transit routes and adjacent to com-
mercial centers.
Responsible Agencies: Transportation and Park-
ing, Department of Public Works
(P) Expand the number of park-and-ride lots
to minimize traffic congestion
Responsible Agencies: Transportation and Park-
ing, Office of Planning and Development
(P) Provide land use and financial program
incentives for Transit Oriented Development
Responsible Agencies: Mayor, City Council, Plan-
ning Board, Subcommittee for Economic Develop-
ment, Land Use, and Housing
(P) Develop plan for snow and ice removal at
major bus stops in the city.
Responsible Agencies: Parking and Transporta-
tion, Department of Public Works
Ensure higher visibility and better informa-
tion about public transit routes and stops thru
the use of bus stop signs, transfer signs and
transit maps. Ensure that bus schedules and
maps posted at bus stops are accessible to dis-
abled riders.
Responsible Agencies: Transportation and Park-
ing, Department of Public Works
Continue to work with Pioneer Valley Transit
Authority and Pioneer Valley Planning Com-
mission to consider a centralized public tran-
sit or multi-modal facility in Northampton.
Responsible Agencies: Transportation and Park-
ing, Capital Improvement Committee, Central
Services, Planning Board, Office of Planning
and Development
Promote the use of special event shuttles to
connect parking on the edge of downtown with
downtown special events when appropriate.
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive PlanResponsible Agency: Transportation and Parking
Advocate with federal and state government
to ensure appropriate funding and levels of
service for public transit.
Responsible Agencies: Mayor, City Council, Plan-
ning Board
Measurement of Progress:
Transit Ridership
Metric: Increase in transit use ridership and
number and location of routes for public
transit
Reporting Agencies: Public Works, Transpor-
tation and Parking Commission
Target: Increased miles served by public
transit
Responsibility for Target: Public Works, Trans-
portation and Parking Commission, PVTA,
PVPC, and the Planning Board
Transit Use
Metric: Increase in transit use and transit ori-
ented development
Reporting Agency: Office of Planning and De-
velopment
Target: Increases in use exceeding growth in
population but commensurate with transpor-
tation demands
Responsibility for Target: Transportation and
Parking Commission, Office of Planning and
Development
Goal T-4: Support federal and State
investments in transportation
improvements
Objectives:
1. Compare the State Transportation Im-
provement Plan and regional Transporta-
tion Improvement Program with the goals
and objectives of Sustainable Northampton
to ensure compatibility.
2. Review the State Transportation Improve-
ment Plan and regional Transportation
Improvement Program to ensure invest-
ments are programmed for the City.
3. Ensure the plans can provide support to
all sectors and areas of the City.
Strategies and Actions:
Participation in the Transportation Improve-
ment Plan (TIP) process should be coupled
with the local administration’s support of fed-
eral and state projects that invest transporta-
tion funds in projects that meet the goals and
objectives of this plan.
Responsible Agencies: Mayor, City Council,
Transportation and Parking, Board of Public
Works, Planning Board
Support forward funding of regional trans-
portation authorities
Responsible Agencies: Mayor, City Council,
Transportation Committee, users
Measurement of Progress:
Metric: Federal and State money promised for
local transportation improvements
Reporting Agencies: Capital Improvement
Committee, Board of Public Works
Target: Increases commensurate with project-
ed growth in transportation demands
Responsibility for Target: Capital Improve-
ment Committee, Board of Public Works,
Transportation and Parking, Department of
Public Works, Finance Director.
Potential Conflicts:
• A desire to promote bikes, walking, re-
duced automobile use, and providing
public transportation can compete with
the reality of automobile dependency
that will not change easily.
• Funding for more parking downtown
and funding for public transportation
serving commercial and employment
centers compete for increasingly limited
financial resources.
Potential Responses:
• Provide high quality and useable pedes-
trian and bike facilities to encourage
use.
• Educate people on the health benefits of
walking and biking.
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive Plan• Find a balance between business and
public financial support for parking op-
tions.
Goal T-5: Provide appropriate
bicycle and vehicle parking to
support local businesses
Objectives:
1. Create additional spaces to meet current
and future anticipated parking demands
for vehicles and bicycles while also apply-
ing demand management solutions for
better utilization.
2. Utilize strategies to minimize parking de-
mand and maximize alternative transpor-
tation.
3. Develop parking structures or decks
north of Main St. to meet parking needs.
4. Improve the operation of parking in the
downtown and village centers.
5. Ensure reasonable access to businesses
and services is available to all residents
and visitors.
Strategies and Actions:
Bicycle Parking
Install bicycle racks to provide all needed bicy-
cle parking in public high bicycle traffic areas,
including schools, downtown Florence, down-
town Northampton, and the Village at Hospi-
tal Hill, to the extent grant-funded racks are
available. Bicycle parking should be located
close to building entrances and final destina-
tions.
Responsible Agencies: Transportation and Park-
ing, Department of Public Works, Planning
Board
Require that private developers provide bi-
cycle parking at entrances and destinations to
encourage bicycle travel.
Responsible Agency: Planning Board
Develop a policy of when all-weather bicycle
storage is appropriate and for public sites in
the downtown and transit stops, include all-
weather and theft resistant bicycle storage
where appropriate.
Responsible Agencies: Transportation and Park-
ing, Board of Public Works, Planning Board
Obtain funds and install bicycle lockers and
improve utilization of existing bicycle lock-
ers.
Responsible Agencies: Transportation and Park-
ing, Board of Public Works, Planning Board,
Office of Planning and Development
Vehicle Parking
Implement the recommendations of the Cen-
tral Business District Parking Needs Study for
parking demand mitigation, parking supply
optimization, and parking supply shortfall.
Responsible Agencies: Transportation and Park-
ing, Parking Manager, Board of Public Works,
Planning Board
Maximize the utilization of existing parking
facilities, such as providing real-time signage,
and identify measures to reduce the need for
new parking facilities, such as shared parking
and alternative access, while still encouraging
the public to come downtown by increasing
the ease of accessibility.
Responsible Agencies: Transportation and Park-
ing, Parking Manager, Board of Public Works,
Planning Board
Explore the development of a additional
structured parking facilities downtown (deck
or garage) to address parking shortfalls and
allow visitors and residents to park in a cen-
tralized facility as a smart growth alternative
to commercial and residential sprawl and to
minimize traffic congestion and CO2 emis-
sions from circulating vehicles seeking park-
ing spaces. Consider the structure as part of
a multi-modal transportation facility.
Responsible Agencies: Mayor, City Council,
Chamber of Commerce, Transportation and Park-
ing, Parking Manager, Economic Development,
Board of Public Works, Planning Board
Ensure that on-street parking spaces in com-
mercial areas are not eliminated to meet street
improvements without a detailed alternatives
assessment and a full community discussion.
Responsible Agencies: Transportation and Park-
ing, Parking Manager, Board of Public Works,
Planning BoardBicycle Parking Facilities
Citywide - 140 spaces plus 12 lockers
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive PlanMeasurements of Progress:
Bicycle Parking
Metric: Number of bike facilities/per capita
Reporting Agencies: Department of Public
Works, Office of Planning and Development
Target: Maximization of bicycle parking
Responsibility for Target: Board of Public
Works, Planning Board
Vehicle Parking
Metric: Parking revenues by hourly and daily
use and parking demand
Reporting Agencies: Transportation and Park-
ing, Parking Manager
Target: Maximization of vehicle parking, In-
crease parking spaces when parking hits 95%
utilization during peak hours
Responsibility for Target: Transportation and
Parking, Parking Manager
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive Plan
7Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive PlanMunicipal Governance and
Financial Stability
Goal MG-1: Diversify revenue
streams to support municipal
operations
Objectives:
1. Match land use changes and improve-
ments with diversified revenue potential.
2. Lead regional and statewide effort to in-
crease authority for municipalities to de-
velop and implement non-property tax
local revenue sources.
3. Develop revenue streams in an equitable
and consistent manner for all popula-
tions in the City.
4. Encourage Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PI-
LOT) from tax-exempt uses.
Strategies and Actions:
Identify properties and blocks that are appropri-
ate for redevelopment to improve the tax base.
Responsible Agencies: Economic Development,
Planning Board, City Council, Office of Plan-
ning and Development
Ask all city departments for suggestions to in-
crease revenues.
Responsible Agencies: Mayor, Finance Director,
All City Departments
Measurement of Progress:
Metric: New revenue sources added
Reporting Agencies: Mayor, City Council
Target: Three percent increase per year in
non-property tax revenues
Responsibility for Target: Mayor, City Council
Goal MG-2: Minimize the adverse
municipal fiscal impacts of
development
Objectives:
1. Include considerations for the overall envi-
ronmental impact of the project in deter-
mining whether it is
“paying its fair share to-
wards public infrastruc-
ture.”
2. Recognize and pro-
vide incentives for
the benefits of devel-
opment projects that
support social and
economic goals.
Strategies and Actions:
Prepare a fiscal impact assessment to deter-
mine current costs and develop an impact
assessment and fee program to address short-
falls if other goals social and economic goals
are not met.
Responsible Agencies: Finance Director, All City
departments collecting fees
Measurement of Progress:
Metric: Municipal services fiscal impacts
Reporting Agency: Finance Director
Target: Conformance with municipal services
fiscal impact standards
Responsibility for Target: All City Departments
Goal MG-3: Maximize use and return
on targeted tax incentives and
other state programs to support
the City’s economic goals
Objectives:
1. Consider state programs for District
Increment Financing (DIF), Tax Incre-
ment Financing (TIF), 40R/40S, and
Expedited Permitting, as a means to
encourage appropriate development
through tax incentives and reimburse-
ment programs.
Strategies and Actions:
Review and consider new or additional ap-
plication of DIF, c. 40R/40S. TIF and similar
8Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive Planprograms aimed at improving local projects
and City tax roles.
Responsible Agencies: Mayor, City Council, Plan-
ning Board, Economic Development, Finance
Director, Office of Planning and Development,
Subcommittee for Economic Development, Land
Use and Housing
Measurement of Progress:
Metric: Amount of revenues from non-tradi-
tional sources
Reporting Agency: Finance Director
Target: Increased city revenues without dimin-
ishing existing revenue streams
Responsibility for Target: Mayor, City Council,
Economic Development, Office of Planning
and Development
Goal MG-4: Align school district
and all department budgets
and policies with Sustainable
Northampton goals and objectives
Objectives:
1. Add consideration of the goals and poli-
cies of this plan to the yearly budget re-
view process.
2. Coordinate the review with an analysis of
cost effectiveness.
3. Ensure the budget is developed and im-
plemented in a consistent and transpar-
ent fashion to meet the most pressing
needs across the City.
4. Enable departments to spend more when
necessary to achieve sustainability goals.
Strategies and Actions:
Review the yearly City budget against the
Sustainable Northampton goals and objectives.
Charge the Mayor or designee with incorpo-
rating this annual review as part of the operat-
ing and capital budget analysis.
Responsible Agency: Mayor or designee
Measurement of Progress:
Metric: Percent of programs conforming to
this comprehensive plan
Reporting Agency: Mayor or designee
Target: One hundred percent conformance
Responsibility for Target: All City Departments
See also: Infrastructure and Capital Resourc-
es Goals
Potential Conflicts:
• The conflict between residents’ desire for
services, and their willingness/ability to
pay for them.
• There is a desire for improved public
services, but with limited resources, it’s
hard to rally support for investing in, and
maintaining, infrastructure and physical
improvements.
Potential Responses:
• Set down priorities for review of the capi-
tal budget and review those priorities
each year during the budget process.
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive PlanEducation
Goal E-1: Promote and support
high achievement by each
student in a safe, healthy secure
environment and enable each
student to become a critical
thinker and socially responsible
citizen in a global society
Objectives:
1. Provide safe, secure, clean and accessible
school facilities.
2. Improve student assessment scores for all
students.
3. Ensure high quality staff, and continu-
ance of curriculum revision and review
for Pre-K through 12th grade.
4. Ensure equal access to education to all
Northampton Public School (NPS) stu-
dents and levels of excellence within each
school in the NPS.
5. Create a school system that is respectful
and welcoming of the diverse members
of the community and integrating them
into the school culture.
Strategies and Actions:
The Northampton Public School community
will create a strategic plan, which includes the
implementation of these objectives, and pro-
vides an annual update of progress. Regularly
updated implementation plan for the educa-
tional goals.
Responsible Agencies: School Department, Smith
Vocational and Agricultural High School.
Provide professional development opportuni-
ties to all staff working with students.
Responsible Agencies: School Department, Smith
Vocational and Agricultural High School.
Continue to work in partnership with busi-
nesses and community organizations, such
as the Northampton Educational Fund, the
Northampton Chamber of Commerce, and
the Volunteers in Northampton Schools to
meet the diverse educational needs of chil-
dren.
Responsible Agencies: Citywide
Support and expand col-
laborative academic out-
reach opportunities with
Smith College and the
5-College system to raise
academic achievement
and opportunity for all
children.
Responsible Agencies:
Northampton Public Schools,
Smith Vocational and Agri-
cultural High School, colleges.
Measurement of Progress:
Metrics:
• Number of regional educational choices
• Number of library volumes / capita
• Teacher retention rates and longevity
• Average educational level obtained
• Drop-out rate
• Number of after school programs and
summer programs
• Local and State student assessment re-
sults
• Percentage of staff (professional and
paraprofessional) that meet State re-
quirements of Highly Qualified.
Reporting Agencies: School Department, Li-
brary Department, MDOE
Target: Maintenance of regional choices, In-
crease in library volumes, More teachers /
smaller classrooms, Increase in average edu-
cation, decrease in drop-out rate, Increase in
programs, improved local and state student as-
sessment, decreased student achievement gap
between subgroups and aggregate, increasing
levels of parent and community involvement.
Responsibility for Target: School Depart-
ment, Library Department, School Commit-
tee, Smith Vocational and Agricultural High
School.
0Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive PlanGoal E-2: Educate students in an
integrated program in the art and
science of agriculture and other
technical careers, and provide
experiential learning opportunities
that will enable students to
function proficiently within the
parameters of the workplace and
post-secondary education
Objectives:
1. Use the programs to educate students on
the environmental and land use implica-
tions of the particular career field.
2. Model an attitude of personal, profes-
sional, and institutional excellence.
3. Continually develop curricula that nur-
ture students’ self-esteem and inspire
them to strive to reach their full poten-
tial.
4. Foster an understanding of the value of
education so that students become life-
long learners.
5. Respect the diversity of our multi-cultural
society by recognizing and affirming the
inherent worth and dignity of all people.
6. Encourage non-traditional career path
choices by actively working to eliminate
racial, cultural, and gender biases.
Strategies and Actions:
Incorporate strategic plans and implementa-
tion plans into school system.
Responsible Agencies: School Department, Smith
Vocational and Agricultural High School
Measurement of Progress:
Metric: Number of student successes
Reporting Agencies: Success stories from
School Department and Families, MDOE,
Smith Vocational and Agricultural High
School, Business partners, Chamber.
Target: Increasing number of success stories,
improved graduation rates, increased rates of
post secondary attendance, increased school
to work transitions
Responsibility for Target: Citywide, School
Department, School Committee, Smith Voca-
tional and Agricultural High School.
Goal E-3: Ensure quality education
and academic achievement for all
segments of the community
Objectives:
1. Provide public education in local and
community issues.
2. Support public education, from Pre-K
through 12th grade.
3. Encourage continuum of education and
adult education as integral to the com-
munity education system and support life
long learning opportunities; e.g., GED,
Adult Basic Education, ESOL, and other
advancement programs.
4. Encourage educational programs that
generate a sense of citizenship.
5. Work on local, state, and federal level to
advocate for early education for all.
Strategies and Actions:
Provide programs in the schools for dual lan-
guage learners.
Responsible Agencies: School Committee, School
Department, Smith Vocational and Agricultural
High School
Reduce the achievement gap - ensure non-
English speaking students, at risk students,
and students with disabilities are succeeding
with tutoring and support programs.
Responsible Agencies: School Committee, School
Department, Smith Vocational and Agricultural
Trustees
Support School Committee guidelines for
smaller class sizes.
Responsible Agencies: Mayor, City Council
Improve sex, drug, and alcohol awareness
education in the schools.
Responsible Agencies: School Committee, School
Department, Smith Vocational and Agricultural
Trustees
Increase parent involvement with volunteer
programs and recognition of participation.
Responsible Agencies: School Committee, School
Department, Smith Vocational and Agricultural
Trustees
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive PlanProvide support for parents of special educa-
tion students – advocacy, bilingual/bicultural
special education providers, and individual-
ized and specialized equipment.
Responsible Agencies: School Committee, School
Department, Smith Vocational and Agricultural
Trustees
Increase funding support for dropout preven-
tion programs.
Responsible Agencies: School Committee, Smith
Vocational and Agricultural Trustees
Support vocational education with funding
and collaborations with private schools.
Responsible Agencies: Mayor, City Council, Smith
Vocational and Agricultural Trustees, School
committee
Seek collaborations and partnerships to in-
crease educational access to higher education
and career/education ladders targeting work-
ers, prospective workers, and at-risk youth.
Responsible Agencies: Mayor, City Council, School
Committee, Smith Vocational and Agricultural
Trustees, colleges, community organizations.
Measurement of Progress:
Metrics:
• Improve graduate rates from K-12 pro-
grams
• Number of graduates from K-12 programs
that enroll in post-secondary education
or enter the job market in their field of
vocational or agricultural training
• Number/percentage of Pre-K children in
stimulus programs
• Number/percentage of adults in educa-
tion programs
• Number of programs focused on local
job training
Reporting Agencies: School Department,
Smith Vocational and Agricultural School,
and other education providers
Target: Increased average educational level;
Increased number of teachers; Increased ed-
ucational choices from birth to adult educa-
tion
Responsibility for Target: School Committee,
School Department (except regional educa-
tional choices), Smith Vocational and Agri-
cultural School
Goal E-3: In partnership with
parents, guardians and the
Northampton community promote
and support high achievement
by each student in a safe, healthy
secure environment.
Objectives:
1. Provide global, regional, and local per-
spectives.
2. Maintain excellence in all schools.
3. Continue to work in partnership with
businesses and community organiza-
tions, such as the Northampton Educa-
tional Fund, the Northampton Chamber
of Commerce, and the Volunteers in
Northampton Schools to meet the di-
verse educational needs of children.
See also Goal E-1
Strategies and Actions:
The School Department will provide a regu-
larly updated implementation plan for the
educational goals
Responsible Agency: School Department
Measurement of Progress:
Metric: Parent involvement in school affairs
Reporting Agency: School Department
Target: Increasing involvement
Responsibility for Target: School Committee
Potential Conflicts:
• Desire for a quality educational system,
but insufficient resources and inability to
pay for it.
Potential Responses:
• Seek partnerships and sponsorships with
private institutions.
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive PlanGoal E-4: Promote the local library
system
Objectives:
1. Create a welcoming, responsive, and sat-
isfying experience for library users.
2. The needs and interests of the commu-
nity will guide the development and im-
provement of library services.
3. The community’s awareness of library ser-
vices and resources will be strengthened.
4. The Board of Trustees of the Forbes Li-
brary will ensure the long term financial
security and address immediate financial
needs of the library
5. The Board of Trustees of Forbes Library
will update its governance structure to
more effectively fulfill the mission of the
Library.
Strategies and Actions:
Strategies and actions to follow for the Forbes
and Lilly libraries are listed in the Trustees’
long-range plans.
Responsible Agencies: Forbes and Lilly Library
Boards of Trustees
Measurement of Progress:
Metric: Library use and satisfaction
Reporting Agencies: Forbes and Lilly Library
Board of Trustees
Target: Expansion of use and user satisfac-
tion
Responsibility for Target: Forbes and Lilly Li-
brary Board of Trustees
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive PlanSocial Equity
Goal SE-1: Invest in all segments
of the community to retain
a population with a diverse
demographic and income levels
Objectives:
1. Ensure a safe and secure environment
for all.
2. Improve housing affordability to retain a
diversity of residents.
3. Reach out to marginalized populations to
ensure all feel welcome in the City.
4. Ensure civic and physical accessibility
for all.
5. Ensure safe and equitable workplaces
and housing for all workers, including
undocumented residents.
6. Promote an environment of tolerance,
diversity, and fairness in public schools so
all children and families feel valued.
Strategies and Actions:
(P) Increase active involvement of community
policing and resources at densely developed
housing complexes, downtown, and Florence
and encourage collaboration between com-
munity police and community/tenant organi-
zations to increase empowerment and reduce
crime including drug dealing.
Responsible Agencies: Police Department, com-
munity organizations, tenant groups
(P) Create an environment of tolerance, di-
versity, and fairness in public schools so all
children and families feel welcome, and con-
tinue to provide anti-racism/anti-discrimina-
tion education and anti-violence prevention
training for school staff and students, in part-
nership with community groups.
Responsible Agencies: School Committee, School De-
partment, Smith Vocational & Agricultural High
School, Center for New Americans, Casa Latina.
(P) Assist property maintenance at public and
private low-income housing properties.
Responsible Agencies: Housing Authority, Hous-
ing Partnership, Board of Health
Develop and include lead-
ership from groups sup-
porting social/cultural di-
versity.
Responsible Agency: Com-
munity-wide
Develop an on-going rela-
tionship between munici-
pal government/leader-
ship and the immigrant
community, e.g. visits by Mayor and other
municipal leaders and staff to classrooms and
informal community outreach sessions.
Responsible Agencies: Mayor, elected officials,
department heads, Center for New Americans,
Literacy Project, Casa Latina, tenant groups, and
other community organizations.
Partner with community groups to assist with
voter outreach and community participation
to encourage greater involvement in the pub-
lic conversation and the formal public hear-
ing and decision-making process.
Responsible Agencies: Mayor, City department
heads, neighborhood associations, community
groups, Center for New Americans, Casa Latina.
Encourage community police involvement
with community organizing or tenant groups
to develop increased collaboration and em-
powerment.
Responsible Agencies: Police Department
Provide strict enforcement of laws related to
drug dealing.
Responsible Agencies: Police Department
Increase understanding and foster a stronger
relationship between the Police Department
and the immigrant community by providing a
clear policy statement from the Police Depart-
ment on their role and responsibility for im-
migration enforcement in the local commu-
nity and creating opportunities for informal
Police Department educational interaction
with the immigrant community.
Responsible Agencies: Human Rights Commis-
sion, Police Department, Casa Latina, Center for
New Americans
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive PlanImplement focused school and public anti-
violence programs especially around domes-
tic/family violence.
Responsible Agencies: School Department, Police
Department
Implement and fund the capital program for
universal accessibility for public sidewalks,
public transit, and public buildings
Responsible Agencies: Mayor, Capital Improve-
ment Committee, City Council, Planning Board,
Board of Public Works, Disability Committee
Measurements of Progress:
Public Safety
Metric: Crime rate reduction and increase
number of tenant associations
Reporting Agencies: Police Department,
Housing Authority, Housing Partnership
Target: Continuous reduction in crime rate
Responsibility for Target: Citywide, Housing
Authority, Housing Partnership
Public Involvement
Metric: Number of people involved in city
functions and voting in elections, number of
volunteer hours/capita, number of minorities
in civic affairs, number of people with access
to media with local coverage and internet
Reporting Agencies: All departments, Regis-
trar of Voters
Target: Increase in citizen participation
Responsibility for Target: All City departments
Goal SE-2: Ensure high quality
and affordable health care for all
children
Objectives:
1. Work with School department and provid-
ers to raise the excellence of all care pro-
vided to children, infants and toddlers.
2. Work on local, state, and federal level to
advocate for health care for all.
Strategies and Actions:
Support Cooley Dickinson Hospital as a criti-
cal institution for access to health care in
Northampton and Hampshire County.
Responsible Agencies: Mayor, City Council, School
Department (Health Director)
Work with Cooley Dickinson Hospital to deliver
services to low and moderate income residents
in the most clinically appropriate manner.
Responsible Agencies: Mayor, City Council, Health
Department, Office of Planning and Development
community health care and social service agencies
Implement a shuttle service to improve access
to health care facilities.
Responsible Agencies: Mayor, Health Department,
Pioneer Valley Transit Authority
Measurement of Progress:
Children’s Health
Metric: Obesity, visits to hospital, birth weights,
vaccinations, dental care
Reporting Agency: Department of Health
Target: Healthier community
Responsibility for Target: Citywide
Goal SE-3: Ensure high quality and
affordable housing and care for
the elderly
Objectives:
1. Site elderly housing in mixed use projects
that match this plan’s land use goals.
2. Encourage participation in health main-
tenance programs that may reduce the
costs of health care for the participating
individuals.
3. Work with Commonwealth and providers
to raise the excellence of all care provid-
ed to elders.
Strategies and Actions:
See Also: Goal SE-3 Strategies and Actions
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive PlanMeasurements of Progress:
Elder Health
Metric: Obesity, Visits to hospital, Cancer
rates, health care statistics (number of people
living at home vs. nursing facilities)
Reporting Agency: Department of Health
Target: Healthier community
Responsibility for Target: Citywide
Health Care Facilities
Metric: Number of hospital beds/capita,
number of people with access to health care,
number of beds in regional shelters, transit
links to hospitals
Reporting Agency: Department of Health
Target: Healthier community
Responsibility for Target: Health care insti-
tutions
See also: Land Use and Housing Goals
Goal SE-4: Ensure environmental
justice in all Northampton
neighborhoods
Objectives:
1. Ensure equal and adequate protection
from environmental and health hazards.
2. Provide prompt and appropriate mitiga-
tion of environmental hazards to improve
land values.
3. Ensure equal access to the public deci-
sion-making process.
Strategies and Actions:
Identify polluted and high quality environ-
mental sites in each neighborhood and pro-
ceed to create a balance where public funding
and programs can be implemented.
Responsible Agencies: Department of Public
Works, Planning Board, Office of Planning and
Development
Measurement of Progress:
Metric: Number of polluted/brownfield sites
remediated, by location
Reporting Agency: Office of Planning and De-
velopment
Target: Ten sites (out of approximately 150 total
listed), identified with hazardous waste condi-
tions in the State files, to remediate each year
Responsibility for Target: Board of Health,
Planning Board, Board of Public Works, State
Potential Conflicts:
• There is a desire for a diverse community,
yet Northampton’s success as a desirable
place to live is contributing to decreased
affordability and diversity. There is a de-
sire to be welcoming to outsiders, and
their wealth, without pushing out work-
ing families and Northampton natives.
• We like to think of Northampton as be-
ing progressive and welcoming, yet there
are class conflicts, racial tensions, and
concerns about educational equity in
our community.
Potential Responses:
• Provide opportunities for ‘community
conversations’ where dialog will be
commonplace.
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive Plan
7Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive PlanAppendix A: Potential Regulatory Actions
The Sustainable Northampton Plan was de-
signed, in part, to fulfill the requirements of
Massachusetts General Law Chapter 41, Sec-
tion 81 D, for the development of municipal
comprehensive or master plans. The com-
prehensive plan is designed to provide a basis
for decision-making regarding the long-term
physical development of the municipality and
requires Planning Board approval. Likewise,
one purpose of the Zoning Act (Massachu-
setts General Law Chapter 40A) and zoning
adopted by communities is to encourage the
most appropriate use of land, including con-
sideration of the recommendations in the
comprehensive plan.
During the development of the Sustainable
Northampton Plan, the Planning Board de-
veloped the following list of potential zoning
changes for consideration and discussion in
the implementation phase of the plan. The
Plan recommends the creation of a Rezoning
Committee tasked with proposing rezoning
consistent with the Plan (See Land Use Goal
#1, Strategy #1). The potential zoning chang-
es will be presented to the Rezoning Com-
mittee for further consideration, discussion,
public review, and potential action during the
implementation phase of the Plan. It should
be noted, all zoning changes must undergo
an official public hearing process in front of
the City Council Ordinance Committee and
the Planning Board before moving forward to
a vote by the full City Council.
Upon adoption of the Plan, other potential
zoning provisions may be proposed and other
City of Northampton committees and boards
may also generate potential regulatory actions
for consideration in their respective areas of
authority.
There is no particular order or priority to the
list.
A. Consider form-based codes, point based
smart growth project evaluation system,
and new and revised design guidelines
and performance standards to improve
development reviews and the quality of
projects.
B. Revise Transfer of Development Rights
zoning to add incentives and design stan-
dards:
- Consistency with Sustainable
Northampton Land Use Plan;
- Include incentives for LEED con-
struction and modest/affordable
housing;
- Mandate design standards for any in-
creased density under this provision;
- Include dimensional changes to
frontage, lot size, open space;
- Allow for residential and commer-
cial development transfers with land
bank options and to identify sending
and receiving zones.
C. Dimensional changes to zoning:
- Consider increased height downtown
to 65’;
- Alter maximum lot coverage for de-
tached accessory structures- based on
lot size;
- Consider amending zero lot line sin-
gle family home to eliminate 30’ side
yard setback;
- Modify payment-in-lieu of second sto-
ry construction for projects that are
within 10’ of front lot line for 80% of
frontage in Highway Business.
D. Use changes:
- No residential on ground floor in NB
district;
- Reduce number of Special Permits
required in business and industrial
areas (see worksheet PB worked on).
E. Signage—change General Business stan-
dards to match Central Business stan-
dards
F. Adopt impact regulations and perfor-
mance standards to limit housing devel-
opment in the City’s rural and low devel-
opment areas (less than one unit per half
acre), where development will strain mu-
nicipal services and alter the character of
the neighborhood.
G. Allow dimensional requirements for sin-
gle family homes in URA to match that
in URB, as part of a transfer of develop-
ment rights or LEED buildings incentive
program.
H. Expand commercially zoned areas to be
consistent with the Future Land Use Map.
I. Revise residential and other zoning to be
consistent with the Future Land Use Map.
8Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive PlanConsider downzonings in the Land Use
Plan Conservation Development area,
only after more discussion (post-compre-
hensive plan public forums needed be-
fore moving forward on this item)
J. 40R Smart Growth zoning in select areas
within Land Use Plan Traditional Neigh-
borhood and areas and with mandated
design standards for increased density
K. Employ transfer of development rights
to allow the transfer of the right to build
residential units in the Conservation De-
velopment area into the right to build
residential and commercial development
in the Traditional Neighborhood, Mixed
Use Commercial Center, and Business
and Industrial areas. Development in
these areas should occur at greater densi-
ties and with less restrictive dimensional
and density standards.
L. Create inclusionary housing for housing
projects that are not otherwise providing
major public benefits:
- Require in Land Use Plan Conserva-
tion Development areas;
- In Land Use Plan Traditional Neighbor-
hood, use incentives, not mandates;
- Include design standards as a require-
ment of dense development;
- Repeal residential incentive zoning
(replaced by the above inclusionary
housing requirements).
M. Encourage the development of afford-
able housing, workforce housing, and
LEED certified building through dimen-
sional, density, and other incentives.
N. Focus on King Street keeping buildings
close to the street north of the planned
rail trail crossing on King Street, and al-
low green buildings and other clear pub-
lic benefits in-lieu of the fee for not build-
ing second stories.
- Rezone King Street to Central Busi-
ness District from Main Street to bi-
cycle path crossing/Acme Auto;
- For Highway Business from bicycle
path to Damon Road, change zoning
to allow one story buildings without
payment in lieu of parking, if and
only if those buildings are build so
that 80% of the frontage along the
road, excluding one driveway en-
trance, is built within 5’ of front lot
line and there is at least one working
and attractive entrance facing the
public sidewalk for ever 200’ (or frac-
tion thereof) of frontage;
- North of Damon Road, allow one
story buildings without payment in-
lieu with no changes to maximum
setbacks.
O. Modify zoning to better encourage mixed-
use development and include incentives
to encourage businesses of similar types
to group into “character districts” along
King Street. Change design and dimen-
sional criteria in the zoning regulations
to encourage conversion of commercial
strips at the eastern edge of downtown to
look more like the central business dis-
trict and place a highway/auto-oriented
commercial overlay and a separate tradi-
tional design overlay, as appropriate, on
sections of King Street.
P. Consider the opportunity for more den-
sity at the Northampton State Hospital
(Village Hill) development. This should
include examining the opportunity for
more housing, probably as a 40R district,
at the Northampton State Hospital Vil-
lage Hill (north campus) without com-
promising the commercial development
at the south campus and along Route 66.
Q. Identify areas to expand or apply State
regulations 43D, 40R/40S Smart Growth
Zoning and Transfer of Development
Rights close to downtown in conformance
with the Future Land Use Map, and pres-
ent for public review.
R. Develop a lot size policy based on popu-
lation density, infrastructure, and desired
development patterns.
S. Develop housing alternatives such as cot-
tage housing development that recog-
nizes that a one- or two-bedroom home
with less than 975 square feet (SF) of liv-
ing area should not be treated the same
as the typical 2,000 to 3,000 SF home.
T. Rewrite the Open Space Residential zon-
ing and Planned Unit Development us-
ing the model in the Northampton Com-
munity Development Plan.
U. Rewrite the Business Park zoning to re-
move housing requirements and no lon-
ger allow housing. Reduce the footprint
of the park to a size that is consistent
with the Future Land Use Map and cor-
respondingly reduce the open space re-
quirements in the Plan.
V. Create incentives in the site plan ap-
proval process for negotiations between
neighbors and developers for projects
in residential neighborhoods, especially
for projects that only effect immediate
neighborhood.
Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive PlanW. Implement form-based code for dense
residential uses, at least in urban core ar-
eas, with the potential to later expand to
other uses and areas:
- Use as minimum design standards/
form-based coding for any increased
density or decrease frontage;
- Encourage single family homes in
Urban Residential zoning districts
by significantly reducing minimum
frontage/lot width, for projects meet-
ing form-based coding;
- Require same standards for town-
houses and multifamily housing
above single-family home density.
X. Simplify Site Plan and Special Permit cri-
teria as appropriate, using smart growth
point based system to approve appropri-
ate special permits and site plan approv-
als, making permitting more predicable,
reducing permit review time, and allow-
ing some reviews to be moved to staff
level reviews. Create design standards
and change criteria from fitting in with
neighborhood to more concrete compli-
ance with design standards.
Y. Streamline permits by moving Special
Permits to Site Plan requirements when
appropriate, including any allowed hous-
ing in Neighborhood Business, Open
Space Residential and PUD projects (see
discussion about revising this ordinance),
Bed and Breakfasts above the first floor
in commercial districts, all allowed retail
and personal services in business districts,
automobile service stations and business
service establishments in Highway Busi-
ness, hotels and motels in business dis-
tricts, offices in Highway business, small
scale hydroelectric generation in any
zoning district, and research and devel-
opment facilities in any business district.
Z. Streamline permits by moving limited
Site Plan permits to planning office ad-
ministrative reviews for permits where
the rules can be clearly spelled out, in-
cluding common driveway permits, side
lot access, and expanded parking for lots
that meet all zoning requirements, and
other areas as appropriate.
AA. Create a clearer formula for transporta-
tion payment in-lieu of fees with incen-
tives for downtown and village center de-
velopment.
BB. Consider ending parking requirements
in Highway Business, Central Business,
and General Business areas, but only
after public hearings have been held in
each area to test this approach. If park-
ing retained, end parking requirements
for second story in all Business districts to
encourage two story buildings (instead of
one story).
CC. Integrate energy efficiency and conserva-
tion into local land use planning.
DD. Zoning code provision should be ex-
plored that permit 4 to 12 small, detached
cottages on a site that would normally be
developed with half that number of large
homes. The code provision could permit
this type of innovative change as a con-
ditional use in designated single-family
zones. Suggested provisions may include:
- Half the cottages can be no more
than 800 SF, and the other half can
be no more than 700 SF on the first
floor and no more than 975 square
feet including a second floor;
- Each cottage must be adjacent to a
common area;
- A minimum parking ratio of 1.25
spaces per cottage in locations
screened from the public way.
EE. Consider options for live/work space in
industrial buildings and, for preserving
large complexes and multistory build-
ings, allowing a percentage of floor areas
for residential uses,
FF. Investigate adoption of the State’s Expe-
dited Local Permitting Law, MGL chap-
ter 43D.
GG.Consider design guidelines or other land
use standards to maximize solar access
(availability of sunlight to provide solar
space heating, electricity and hot water).
70Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive Plan
7Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive PlanAppendix B: Survey Results
A city-wide opinion survey was mailed to ev-
ery known residential address in Northamp-
ton, as part of the annual local census. The
return rate over February and March of 2006
was more than 35% (almost 4,000 counted
responses), which is exceptionally high for
this type of survey.
The survey included 34 questions on envi-
ronment, land use, economic development,
housing, equity, and residence. The questions
allowed four choices on the level of agree-
ment with, or, importance of, the issue.
A key finding in review of the results is that
there was a high level of agreement on many
issues. The issues that received greater than
75% positive agreement or importance
were:
• Land Use and Environment – more tran-
sit-oriented development, focus on exist-
ing commercial centers, investments in
energy efficiency, more open space corri-
dors, limits on where building may occur;
• Economic Development – not enough
jobs, lack of livable wages and need for
more job training;
• Housing – Lack of affordable housing in
general and specifically for the middle
income;
• Equity – public safety, child care, health
care and the gap in student achieve-
ments.
While the responses are very beneficial be-
cause of the broad range and number of
responses from all the wards, no decisions
have been made solely based on this survey.
This is because of the nature of this type of
survey; an unrestricted response option with-
out randomized selection of responders. In
addition, those survey questions with a large
number of blank answers, which could indi-
cate confusion, are considered far less valu-
able for determining consensus. However,
the survey results were one of the pieces of
information that the Steering Committee
and Planning Board were able to weigh in
drafting this plan.
The following graphs summarize the results
for the survey questions so that each reader
can draw their own conclusions. The graphs
show the split between those choosing agree-
ment or importance, and those choosing dis-
agreement or low importance. The raw data
is available in the Office of Planning and De-
velopment.
7Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive Plan10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
People Should Build Wherever
They Want
Agree Disagree
85%
15%10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
New Homes Should Be Built in
Walking Distance of Commercial
Areas
Agree Disagree
46%54%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
New Homes Should Be Built at the
State Hospital
Agree Disagree
30%
70%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
New Homes Should Be Built Only
Where There is Public Water and
Sewer
Agree Disagree
50%50%
Environment and Land Use
7Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive Plan10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
We Are Losing Good Parts of Our
Small-Town Character
Agree Disagree
31%
69%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Commercial Uses Should Go In
Other Business- Zoned Areas, Like
Downtown, Florence, and King
Street
Agree Disagree
20%
80%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Commercial Uses Should Go In
Other Business Zoned Areas Like
The Rte. 10 Business Park
Agree Disagree
20%
80%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Commercial Uses Should Go On
New Sites On Major Roads
Agree Disagree
54%46%
7Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive Plan10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
The City Should Invest In Energy
Efficiency for City Operations
Agree Disagree
5%
95%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
We Should Protect More Open
Space and Wildlife Corridors
Agree Disagree
10%
90%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Development Should Be
Encouraged At Densities And
Locations That Can Support
Transit
Agree Disagree
11%
89%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
To Avoid Regional Sprawl,
Northampton Should Be An Area
Of Growth
Agree Disagree
37%
63%
7Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive Plan10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Not Enough Jobs
Important Not Important
16%
84%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Lack Of Livable Wages
11%
89%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Need For Job Training
29%
71%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Not Enough Shopping Options
70%
30%
Economic Development
Important Not Important
Important Not Important Important Not Important
7Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive Plan10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Need More Business
46%54%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Loss Of Artists and Arts
Organizations
36%
64%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Not Enough Affordable Spaces
For The Arts
39%
61%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
High Cost of Commercial And
Industrial Space
38%
62%
Important Not Important Important Not Important
Important Not Important Important Not Important
77Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive Plan10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Lack Of Commercial And Industrial
Space
56%44%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Confusing Regulations And
Regulatory Process
40%
60%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Cost of Regulations Exceeds
Benefits
40%
60%
Housing
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Not Enough Housing Affordable
To All Residents, Including Low-
Income Residents
21%
79%
Important Not Important Important Not Important
Important Not Important Important Not Important
78Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive Plan10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Not Enough Small-Sized Housing
Units And Apartments
31%
69%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Lack Of Middle-Income Housing
($150k to $250k Per Unit)
18%
82%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Regulations That Restrict Housing
Development
41%
59%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
An Achievement Gap Between
Minority And White Students In
The Public Schools
25%
75%
Equity Issues
Important Not Important Important Not Important
Important Not Important Important Not Important
7Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive Plan10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Lack Of Health Care
12%
88%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Public Safety (e.g. Drug
Prevention and Domestic
Violence)
17%
83%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Cultural And/Or Economic
Diversity
29%
71%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Lack of Affordable Childcare
23%
77%
Important Not Important Important Not Important
Important Not Important Important Not Important
80Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive Plan2%
4%
6%
8%
10%
12%
14%
16%
18%
20%
In which ward do you live?
1 2
12%16%
3 4 5 6 7
14%16%15%14%14%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
How long have you lived in the City?
0-4 years 5-9 years
16%
21%
10-19 years 20+ years
42%
21%
8Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive PlanGlossary of Terms
40R/40S: State legislation that provides cash
incentives to municipalities that adopt denser
zoning districts that increase housing produc-
tion. The payments are tied to the number of
units and the time they are built.
Alternative Modes of Transportation: All
modes of transportation serving the general
public that are appropriate for the transport
of people, commodities, or freight by rail, air,
water, or other conveyance, exclusive of high-
ways, wires, and pipelines.
Bikepaths and lanes – Bike access can be pro-
vided as a bike lane within rights-of-way as a
shared or separate portion of the paved road-
way. Separate paths, not shared with vehicles,
but shared with pedestrians, are bike ways.
Blueway: A path or accessway following a river
or waterbody. See also, Greenway.
Cluster: A site planning technique that con-
centrates buildings in specific areas on the
site to allow the remaining land to be used
for recreation, common open space, and/or
preservation of environmentally, historically,
culturally or otherwise sensitive features and/
or structures. The techniques used to concen-
trate buildings shall be specified in the ordi-
nance and may include, but are not limited to,
reduction in lot areas, setback requirements,
and/or bulk requirements, with the resulting
open land being devoted by deed restrictions
for one or more uses. Under cluster develop-
ment there is no increase in the number of
lots that would be permitted under conven-
tional development except where ordinance
provisions include incentive bonuses for cer-
tain types or conditions of development.
Conservation Development: A typical land
development project, which conserves open
land, protects site features and provides flex-
ibility in the siting of structures, services and
infrastructures.
Context Sensitive Design: A collaborative, inter-
disciplinary approach to develop facilities that fit
the physical setting and preserve scenic, aesthet-
ic, historic and environmental resources, while
maintaining safety and mobility for all users.
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
has identified several characteristics of context
sensitive design for transportation facilities that
could also apply to other project types:
• The project satisfies its purpose and needs;
• The project design is built from consen-
sus;
• The project is safe facility for users of all
ages and abilities;
• The project meets minimum design stan-
dards for accessibility for people with dis-
abilities and gives attention to universal
design principles;
• The project is in harmony with the com-
munity and preserves environmental,
scenic, aesthetic, historic, and built and
natural resources of the area;
• The project is designed and built with the
least possible disruption to the commu-
nity;
• The project is seen as having added last-
ing value to the community.
DIF/TIF; District Improvement Financing /
Tax Increment Financing: These programs
allow the City to provide a tax incentive for
development that provides a public benefit
or to earmark tax revenues from projects in a
redevelopment area for public infrastructure
such as roads and utilities.
Design Guidelines: A set of discretionary stan-
dards structured by public policy and specific
location goals, which include design and per-
formance criteria that guide planning and
land development to achieve a desired level
of quality for the physical environment.
Easements: The right to use property for spe-
cific purposes (including but not limited to
conservation, maintenance, utilities, or habi-
tat protection) or to gain access (pedestrian
or vehicular) to another property. May be
considered as less-than-fee-simple interest in
the property.
Energy Star: A voluntary labeling program
of the US Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) and the US Department of Energy that
identifies energy efficient products. Qualified
products exceed minimum federal standards
for energy consumption by a certain amount,
or where no federal standards exist, have cer-
tain energy saving features. Such products
may display the Energy Star label.
Enhanced Single Room Occupancy: En-
hanced single room occupancy unit is a single
person occupancy room (see SRO below) but
8Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive Planwith private bath and/or kitchenette rather
than sharing both facilities.
Environmental Criteria/Constraints: Natural
features, resources, or land characteristics
that are sensitive to change and may require
conservation measures, the application of
special development techniques to prevent
degradation of the site, limited development,
or, in certain instances, may preclude devel-
opment.
Environmental Justice: The fair treatment of
people of all races, cultures, and incomes with
respect to the development, adoption, imple-
mentation, and enforcement of environmen-
tal laws.
Expedited Permitting: This state program
(Chap 43D) allows a community to gain state
incentives for projects meeting certain criteria
and permitted within a 180-day permit pro-
cess.
Form-based Zoning: Form-based zoning regu-
lations define desired building and site char-
acter but do not strictly regulate the options
for uses of those buildings and land. The
regulations are typically defined along a ‘tran-
sect’ of high- to low-density development,
thereby defining the character of the blocks
and neighborhoods as well as the individual
buildings and sites.
Green Buildings, Green Roofs: Common
terms used to describe buildings and roofs
that have been designed or retrofitted to re-
duce energy consumption. Buildings account
for a majority of the energy consumption in
the country. Adding green building and roof
design can mean a 40% reduction in energy
consumption over the standard building code
(U.S. Green Building Council). The ‘green’
design requires an integrated analysis of all
building systems; the shell, windows, heating,
etc. Green roofs are intended to reduce heat
exchange, and when vegetated they provide
control on stormwater runoff.
Greenway: An upland path or accessway in a
natural setting used for pedestrian and bicycle
travel. See also, Blueway.
Hazard Mitigation Plan: A set of actions and
policies designed to reduce the impacts on
people and property of naturally occurring di-
sasters, which provide the following benefits:
• A Hazard Mitigation Plan can expedite
the approval process for receiving money
after a federally declared disaster through
the FEMA Post-Disaster Hazard Mitiga-
tion Grant Program (HMGP).
• Disaster preparation can have enormous
benefits in lessened loss of life, economic
and social impacts, and post-disaster re-
covery time.
• A Mitigation Plan can be counted towards
credit points in FEMA’s Community Rating
System (CRS). Points are awarded for hav-
ing the plan, as well as for going through
the various steps involved in creating the
plan, including community involvement
and coordinating with other agencies. The
higher a community’s CRS score, the great-
er the discounts provided on individual
property owner’s National Flood Insurance
Program (NFIP) premiums.
• FEMA’s Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM)
grant program and Flood Mitigation As-
sistance (FMA) program provide grants
for activities designed to mitigate the
effects of floods and other disasters in a
community. Funds from these grants can
go to acquisition, relocation, and retrofit-
ting of structures.
Heritage Resources: are those sites or struc-
tures—including roads, ways, and landscape
settings—that exemplify the heritage of the
city and its neighborhoods. Such resources
may include structures or sites:
• Listed on, or determined eligible for list-
ing on, the National Register of Historic
Places;
• Determined to be a contributing struc-
ture within a district so listed or eligible
for such listing;
• Located within and considered as a con-
tributing structure within a designated
Northampton Historic District; or
• Listed on, or meeting the criteria for list-
ing on, the Northampton Historical Com-
mission’s inventories of historic, architec-
tural, or archaeological structures or sites.
Infill Development: The development of
vacant, usually single, parcels of land in an
otherwise built-up area. Infill development
provides an attractive alternative to new de-
velopment by reducing loss of critical and
resource lands to new development, and by
focusing on strengthening older neighbor-
hoods while reducing the cost of extending
infrastructure into newly developing areas.
Jobs/Housing Balance: A measure of the
harmony between employment and dwelling
units in a specific area. The commonly used
8Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive Planmetric of this balance is the jobs/housing ra-
tio, which is simply the number of jobs in a
community divided by the number of housing
units in that community. A low jobs/housing
ratio indicates a housing-rich “bedroom com-
munity”, while a high jobs/housing ratio indi-
cates an employment center. Although there
is no one perfect balance, each city should
define what their ideal ratio is to indicate they
are “in balance”.
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environ-
mental Design): A voluntary, consensus-based
national standard for developing high-perfor-
mance, sustainable buildings.
Living Wage: Wages sufficient to cover the
basic costs of living, working, raising a family,
and paying taxes without public subsidies in
Northampton measured using geographically
specific data. One potential data source is The
Women’s Union Self-Sufficiency Standard.
Natural Carrying Capacity: A measure of the
ability of an area to accommodate growth and
development within the limits defined by ex-
isting infrastructure and natural resource ca-
pabilities to accept inputs and impacts.
New Urbanism: As promoted in the Charter of
the Congress for New Urbanism, New Urban-
ism supports the following principles: neigh-
borhoods should be diverse in use and popu-
lation; communities should be designed for
pedestrians and transit as well as automobiles;
cities and towns should be shaped by physi-
cally defined and universally accessible public
spaces and community institutions; and urban
places should be framed by architecture and
landscape design that celebrate local history,
climate, ecology, and building practice. Many
of the historic and planned neighborhoods in
New England built before WWII, including ar-
eas of Northampton, is the original urbanism
that New Urbanism is trying to emulate. See
also, Traditional Neighborhood Development.
Non-Governmental Organization [NGO]: Or-
ganizations such as community development
corporations, land trusts, and chambers of
commerce that fulfill a public need but are
not a public agency.
Pedestrian Radius: A 1/4 to 1/2 mile radius
maintained around a location within which
walking is expected..
Performance Standards: A verifiable, measur-
able set of criteria relating to meeting stan-
dards for design and operation that a partic-
ular use or process must either meet or may
not exceed. Performance standards may ap-
ply to architectural and site design, use, man-
agement, environmental conditions, impact
assessment, financial and job performance.
Properly constructed, performance standard
documents contain:
• Goals specific to the area of performance;
• Determinants of Compliance;
• Assessment Options
- Measurements
- Condition Indicators; and,
• Procedures.
Planned Developments: A district or project
designed to provide an alternative to subur-
ban development standards and which is in-
tended to:
• Encourage the development of tradi-
tional village centers that provide for a
creative mixture of uses, including resi-
dential and business, that enhance the
quality of community life through careful
planning and development without com-
promising the protection of resources
such as ground water and open space;
• Reduce initial development costs and
preserve areas for common use by reduc-
ing standard minimum lot size and set-
back requirements;
• Preserve the character of surrounding
neighborhoods and enhance the physi-
cal appearance of the area by preserving
natural features and existing vegetation;
• Provide for recreation and open areas;
• Promote economical and efficient land
use, which can result in smaller demands
for public facilities, utilities and streets;
• Allow for the creative development of
businesses that serve the planned unit
development and surrounding areas and
reduce the demand upon the automobile
for access to businesses;
• Provide an appropriate and harmonious
variety of housing and creative site design
alternatives that encourage innovative
development;
• Promote energy conservation by optimiz-
ing the orientation, layout and design of
structures to take maximum advantage of
solar heating/cooling schemes and en-
ergy-conserving landscaping;
• Provide a procedure which can relate the
type, design and layout of development
to a particular site and the particular de-
mand for housing and other facilities in a
8Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive Planmanner consistent with the preservation
of property values within established resi-
dential areas;
• Ensure that a large development will have
adequate public services and facilities by
coordinating and sharing costs with the
developer; and
• Comply with the Northampton Compre-
hensive Plan.
Single Room Occupancy (SRO): Single per-
son occupancy room in a building that must
meet local code standards for SROs. There
must be a private full bath for use by six rooms
or fewer, and such baths must be located not
more than one floor above or below the room.
The room must measure at least 110 sq. feet
and have a closet space of at least four sq. feet
with an unobstructed height of at least five
feet. If there is less closet space, there must be
enough habitable space above the 110 sq. feet
to meet the deficiency. Additionally, it is re-
quired that the building must have two means
of egress and a sprinkler system that protects
all major spaces.
Sustainability: “Meet[ing] the needs of the
present without compromising the ability of
future generations to meet their own needs”
- former Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Har-
lem Brundtland. A sustainable community
manages with a balanced set of integrated
principles: Social Equity, Environmental Re-
spect, and Economic Strength, that preserve
a high quality of life for future generations.
Traditional Neighborhood Development
[TND]: A village-style concept promoting vi-
brant mixed-use neighborhoods with higher
densities and a range of complementary uses.
TND is characterized by compact pedestrian-
oriented developments that provide a vari-
ety of uses, diverse housing types, and are
anchored by a central public space and civic
activity. TND is based on the principle that
neighborhoods should be walkable, afford-
able, accessible, distinctive, and true to the
significant historic context of each commu-
nity. The following are commonly found in
TND:
• Parks, schools, civic buildings, and com-
mercial establishments located within
walking distance of homes;
• Residences with narrow front setbacks,
front porches, and detached rear garages
or alley-loaded parking;
• Network of streets and paths suitable for
pedestrians, bicyclists, and vehicles
• Narrower streets with crosswalks,
streetscaping, and other traffic-calming
measures;
• In-scale development that fits the local
context; and,
• Buildings oriented to the street with park-
ing behind.
Transfer of Development Rights [TDR]: A
program that can relocate development from
areas where proposed land use or environ-
mental impacts are considered undesirable
(the “donor” site) to another (“receiver”) site
chosen on the basis of its ability to accommo-
date additional units of development beyond
what it was zoned for with minimal environ-
mental, social, and aesthetic impacts.
Transit Oriented Development [TOD]: A
TOD project locates development within
walking distance of public transit, usually bus
or train transit, to reduce vehicle traffic and
take advantage of adjacencies, and is typically
designed according to the following criteria:
• Mixed Use;
• Moderate to High Density, 12 to 65 units/
acre;
• Mobility choice;
• Pedestrian connectivity;
• Reduced parking ratios;
• High quality design; and,
• Usable public open space.
Transportation/Travel Demand Management
[TDM]: is used to influence traveler behavior
for the purpose of reducing or redistributing
travel demand. The purpose of TDM is to
reduce the number of vehicles on the roads
by providing other choices for travel often in
terms of mode and schedule.
Village: A clustered settlement that is predom-
inantly residential in nature, with community
related services such as post office or church,
and often has the following characteristics:
• Location at a crossroads;
• Built at a human scale;
• Small, compact development pattern;
• Contains small or narrow lots;
• Pre-twentieth century in origin; and,
• Originated around a mill, general store,
tavern, family farmstead or other central
feature.