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CT River Greenway Boathouse-feasibility-Lane site Northampton Boat House & Athletic Facility Lane Property Feasibility Study Prepared for: Northampton Youth and Community Rowing City of Northampton Smith College Introduction The sport of rowing has become increasingly popular over the last several decades, a fact that is reflected in the growth of rowing in the City of Northampton. Currently, local rowing groups, including Smith College and Northampton Community Rowing, and the City of Northampton itself, do not have what is considered to be a home boathouse facility. The study site is the property of the Lane Construction Corporation off of Damon Road, which is currently in use for construction material processing and storage. Lane Construction plans to terminate its material processing and storage activities on the site, and intends to keep its offices and administrative operations at that location. The Lane Construction Company parcel was one of eleven possible sites identified as part of The Connecticut River Greenway State Park Rowing Facility Master Plan study that was conducted in 2008, but was not selected as a preferred location at that time due to the private ownership of the parcel. The Berkshire Design Group, Inc. of Northampton, MA, was contracted to conduct a study to determine the feasibility of developing the Lane Construction property for redevelopment. In addition to the construction of a proposed boathouse, athletic field, driveways, utilities and parking, redevelopment of the site will also propose the construction of two buildings of approximately 20,000 square feet each and associated site improvements for use by Lane Construction. As part of the feasibility study, a Preliminary Master Plan for the property was developed and is included in this report. The Site The Lane Construction property is a parcel of approximately 22.5 acres that is located just off of Damon Road near the location where Damon Road crosses under Interstate 91 (see Figure 1). The site is currently used by Lane Construction Company for the processing and storage of constructionrelated materials. The parcel itself has no frontage on Damon Road but has a driveway easement over two other properties (see Figure 2). The parcel is bound to the north by the Connecticut River; to the south by two private parcels and Interstate 91; to the east by a 20-foot wide parcel owned by City of Northampton; and to the west by Interstate 91 and a drainage easement held by the Massachusetts Highway Department. Mass GIS Q109894 and Q109898 Scale: Not to scale Figure 1 USGS Locus Lane Construction Property Northampton, Massachusetts Project Site DAMON RD. CONNECTICUT RIVER LANE PARCEL INTERSTATE 91 Figure 2 PROJECT LOCATIONFigure 3 Figure 4 The Lane Construction parcel was the location of an historic canal and lock system dating back to the period from 1829-1847, and the stream that flows along the east side of the property was originally part of the canal system (see Figure 3). Although not directly related to the proposed redevelopment of the property, the existence of these historic resources provides the opportunity to interpret and present some of the industrial and cultural history of the area and may provide access to funding sources related to historic preservation. Figure 4 presents a topographic plan of the existing site conditions as provided by Lane Construction. Site Benefits The Lane Construction property has several characteristics that would be beneficial for development of the type under consideration. The parcel has approximately 1,300 feet of river frontage along its northern boundary, providing the river access needed for a boathouse facility. The banks along the Connecticut River are fairly steep, which tends to limit the extent of floodplain on the property, as well as the impact of floodplain restrictions on development of the site. Although the river banks are steep, there are two previously graded access routes to the river that could provide trailer and emergency vehicle access to the proposed dock. Finally, the parcel has been previously developed which would tend to simplify the environmental permitting that will be required for the development as compared to potential riverfront locations that are undeveloped. Site Constraints Although there are a number of benefits of the site as described above, there are a number of site constraints, as well. The property contains wetland buffer zone and bank, riverfront, and floodplain, which are jurisdictional under the Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act and the City of Northampton Wetlands Bylaw. Work within these areas will require a permit from the Northampton Conservation Commission and, although the site is previously developed, restoration or mitigation for work within riverfront may be required. Much of the property is within the estimated and priority habitat of endangered species as identified by the Massachusetts Natural History and Endangered Species Program (NHESP). Project planning will need to be coordinated with NHESP to ensure that endangered species are not impacted. Depending on the particular endangered species in the area, the scope of the proposed development could Site Utilities Site Zoning The Lane Construction property is in the General Industrial (GI) zoning district and the Watershed Protection (WP) overlay district. A development of this type is allowed in this district as a municipal project. The following dimensional requirements apply to development in this district: District GI-General Industrial Overlay District WP-Watershed Protection Lot Size: 22.56 Acres Frontage: N/A – Lot has no frontage Dimensional Requirements: Standard Project Municipal Facility Min. Area (sq ft) 20,000 None Min Frontage (ft) 120 None Min. Depth (ft) 140 None Min. Front Setback (ft) 20 20 Min. Side Setback (ft) 15 15 Min. Rear Setback (ft) 20 20 Max. Bldg Height (ft) 40 40 Min. Open Space (%) 20% 20% Although the Lane Construction property is currently served by site utilities adequate to Lane Construction purposes, the capacity and condition of those utilities has yet to be determined. Pending coordination with the Northampton Department of Public Works and in-depth project design, design, it is anticipated that at a minimum the following utility work will need to take place: Existing overhead electrical service will need to be brought underground where it crosses onto the Lane Construction property. Service will need to be extended to the new Lane Construction buildings and to the new boathouse. It is expected that the installation of a force sanitary sewer ejector system connecting the proposed development to an existing sanitary main in Damon Road will be required. It is expected that the installation of both new domestic and fire protection water services connecting the proposed development to an existing water main in Damon Road will be required. need to be revised. Finally, because of the industrial nature of the current and historic use of the property, there is the potential for environmental contamination. Examination of the property by a Licensed Site Professional (21-E examination) should be undertaken in order to rule out possible contamination. Permitting Preliminary Master Plan The proposed Preliminary Master Plan would divide the current Lane Construction property into two separate parcels served by a common drive as shown in Figure 5. The approximately 6.5 acre southern parcel would continue to be owned by Lane Construction and would include two new buildings separated by a common drive. Each building would be 20,000 square feet in size and have associated site improvements including parking, sidewalks, utilities and plantings. The approximately 16.1 acre parcel to the north would be owned by the City of Northampton and would include an 18,000 square foot boathouse to be used by Smith College, Northampton Youth and Community Rowing, and Northampton Parks and Recreation. Site improvements associated with the boathouse would include a 50 space parking area, trailer parking, paved boat apron, paved water access driveway (accessible to trailers and emergency vehicles), and a new boat dock. Additionally, the Preliminary Master Plan includes a 225’x 360’ natural turf soccer field. At a minimum, the following permits would need to be secured as part of development of this property: • Order of Conditions from the Northampton Conservation Commission as per the Wetlands Protection Act and the Northampton Wetlands Bylaw. Note that the delineation of wetland resource areas as shown on the enclosed plans is estimated from available sources and will need to be field verified by a qualified wetlands scientist. • Site Plan Approval from the City of Northampton planning board. • Verification from the Massachusetts Natural History and Endangered Species Program (NHESP) that project work will not result in the taking of an endangered species. • Stormwater management permit from the City of Northampton Department of Public Works. • Trench permit from the City of Northampton Department of Public Works. • Construction General Permit from the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program. Although there are a number of development constraints attached to the Lane Construction property, there are significant advantages as well. In addition to the proposed boathouse facility, the proposed development as shown in the Preliminary Master Plan will provide athletic field space, which is in short supply in the City of Northampton. Given that the site is previously developed, and that the proposed redevelopment will result in a smaller footprint than the existing development, it will be possible to provide significant recreational benefits in an environmentally responsible manner.