Housing Authority Laurel Street May 9
May 9, 2002
Jon Hite
Northampton Housing Authority
49 Old South Street
Northampton, MA 01060
RE: NHA Laurel Street Parcel at the Northampton State Hospital
Dear Jon:
Planning and Development staff had a productive meeting recently with your staff and consultants identifying development constraints and options for the Housing Authority Laurel Street
parcel at the Northampton State Hospital.
As a follow-up to that meeting, I would like to strongly urge you to develop the property under a “friendly” comprehensive permit. Under this option, our staff will work with you to
identify:
An affordable housing development scenario that serves Housing Authority needs; and
Is consistent with the approved master plans for the Northampton State Hospital; and
Requires a minimum number of waivers and is consistent with staff recommendations for comprehensive permits; and
Creates the most predictable regulatory path.
We also considered, and rejected, three other options:
Develop the property as allowed by-right in our zoning, which is, at most, one single family home with an accessory apartment. Given the urban village the city has planned and the
Housing Authority needs this does not meet any of our needs.
Develop the property as part of MassDevelopment’s and the Community Builders’ Planned Village development. We had initially recommended this approach, but concerns about your procurement
requirements and the zonings PV housing cap, make this infeasible. (The other concern raised, the MEPA process, could be easily addressed by a Notice of Project Change.)
Request a zoning change. This is inconsistent with the city’s master plan and would create neighborhood opposition.
History
As you may remember, when the Housing Authority first requested the Laurel Street parcel and then after the legislation passed, I pointed out to you that this would require either working
with the master developer or obtaining a comprehensive permit and addressing any necessary MEPA/historic preservation standards.
Last year, our office did send a letter to Chris Myers stating that the site could be developed using the Urban Residential-B standards. This was in error, for which I most sincerely
apologize. Since 1994, our zoning has only allowed the site to be developed in accordance with the Planned Village District standards (or a comprehensive permit). Starting a short
time after last year’s letter, both Carolyn Misch and I informed Chris Myers on multiple occasions that, contrary to the earlier letter, the site can only be developed in accordance
with the Planned Village zoning or comprehensive permit requirements.
Going back to the 1993 master plan, and continuing past the 1996 legislation transferring the Laurel Street parcel to the Housing Authority, it has always been our clear position that
this parcel should be planned for development consistent with the plan for the remainder of the Planned Village development and consistent with CAC’s and the Planned Village developer’s
extensive neighborhood outreach and the existing neighborhood buy-in.
We look forward to working with you on this project.
Sincerely,
Wayne Feiden, AICP
Director of Planning and Development
Cc: Chris Myers, NHA
Janet Gezork, NHA Consultant
Rita Farrell, Mass Housing Partnership
Peg Keller, Housing and Community Development Senior Planner
Carolyn Misch, Land Use Senior Planner and Permits Manager