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Connecticut River Greenway state park-- Damon Road Task Force reportFinal Report of the DAIMON ROAD TASK FORCE Prepared for City of Northampton Mayor David B. Musante and the Commissioners of Hampshire County Prepared by The Damon Road Task Force Timothy Brennan, Chairman Terry Blunt Thomas Dyer Steve Johnson Peter McNulty October 1985 October 21, 1985 Mr. Patrick M. Goggins, Chairman Commissioners of Hampshire County Hampshire County Courthouse Main Street Northampton, Massachusetts 01060 Dear Commissioner Goggins: In accordance with the difficult and complex task you assigned us last August, the Damon Road Task Force is pleased to inform you that we have now completed a thorough review and analysis of a tract of land situated between the Connecticut River and Damon Road which runs from the Route 9 Coolidge Bridge northerly to a point above Elwell Island. A final report encompassing the Task Force's findings and recommendations is enclosed for your consideration and action. As you will note from the contents of the final report, we have decided to recommend an admittedly bold and ambitious public undertaking, but one which has been recognized as a long- standing need, namely the consolidation of the subject tract of land under public ownership for the purpose of creating a new, riverfront park and recreational facility which at a minimum would: (a) maintain the existing and largely undeveloped land use pattern of the study area; (b) complement the Five College Bikeway and share select support facilities with it; (c) provide an opportunity to improve pedestrian access to the City -owned Elwell Island, especially for a day use public beach; (d) create a public access point to the Connecticut River devoted to non motorized water craft; and, perhaps most importantly, (e) respond to a long standing need on the part of the general public for a convenient low- intensive river related recreational facility in the Greater Northampton area. The Task Force wishes to underscore that throughout its study, the deliberations and decisions it collectively reached were guided by one over riding consideration, that is, the type of land use and development that would clearly maximize the short and long term benefits to current and future generations of City, County, and Pioneer Valley residents. Indeed, this consideration eventually became the cornerstone by which the Task Force measured all other reasonable alternatives brought under its scrutiny. In the final analysis, members of the Task Force were convinced that having taken all factors into account, area residents and visitors would be best served if the F 1 r u 2 land remained or came under the public domain to allow a riverfront park and recreational facility to be created and maintained for public use. Although there were certainly other development options for this parcel, the Task Force was gradually persuaded that the unique character of the land tract, coupled with the lack of virtually any convenient public access points to the Connecticut, argued for a public, rather than private development. To this end, the Task Force's final report not only spells out recommendations to Mayor Musante and the Hampshire County Commissioners, but outlines implementation strategies currently available, and provides a schematic plan that encompasses the basic layout and components of the riverfront park proposed for this particular location. In this way, the Task Force has tried to make it certain that its recommendations are substantive, timely and achievable. What is now necessary is strategic leadership on the part of City and County officials. As a final point, which the Task Force would especially like to recognize and make known the outstanding cooperation of the owners of the property in question, (i.e. Mr. and. Mrs. Jeffway and Messrs. August and Simeone) as well as Mr. Frank Horachek, Senior Real Estate Represenative for the Friendly Ice Cream Corporation. Although the recommendations of the Task Force may disappoint these individuals, they are not intended to be a commentary on the quality of the project they proposed for their Damon Road site. Rather, as emphasized above, the Task Force's recommendations are first and foremost a function of the type of land use and low density development the Task Force saw as most appropriate and which it was convinced would be most beneficial for decades to come. We trust that the results of the Task Force work will prove helpful to you and the other public officials responsible for the ultimate dispensation of this special tract of land. We stand ready to meet with you to discuss our findings and recommendations in greater detail and to answer any questions you may have. Similarly, should you agree with the proposl we've recommended, we will be happy to try and assist you to move the recommendations prescribed in the enclosed report toward implementation. We look forward to your response and sincerely appreciate the freedom you afforded the Task Force in drafting the findings and recommendations contained in our final report. Sincerely, The Damon Road Task Force October 21, 1985 The Honorable David B. Musante, Jr. Mayor, City of Northampton City Hall 210 Main Stret Northampton, Massachusetts 01060 Dear Mayor Musante: In accordance with the difficult and complex task you assigned us last August, the Damon Road Task Force is pleased to inform you that we have now completed a thorough review and analysis of a tract of land situated between the Connecticut River and Damon Road which runs from the Route 9 Coolidge Bridge northerly to a point above Elwell Island. A final report encompassing the Task Force's findings and recommendations is enclosed for your consideration and action. As you will note from the contents of the final report, we have decided to recommend an admittedly bold and ambitious public undertaking, but one which has been recognized as a long- standing need, namely the consolidation of the subject tract of land under public ownership for the purpose of creating a new, riverfront park and recreational facility which at a minimum would: (a) maintain the existing and largely undeveloped land use pattern of the study area; (b) complement the Five College Bikeway and share select support facilities with it; (c) provide an opportunity to improve pedestrian access to the City -owned Elwell Island, especially for a day use public beach; (d) create a public access point to the Connecticut River devoted to non- motorized water craft; and, perhaps most importantly, (e) respond to a long standing need on the part of the general public for a convenient low- intensive river- related recreational facility in the Greater Northampton area. The Task Force wishes to underscore that throughout its study, the deliberations and decisions it collectively reached were guided by one over riding consideration, that is, the type of land use and development that would clearly maximize the short and long term benefits to current and future generations of City, County, and Pioneer Valley residents. Indeed, this consideration eventually became the cornerstone by which the Task Force measured all other reasonable alternatives brought under its scrutiny. In the final analysis, members of the Task Force were convinced that having taken all factors into account, area residents and visitors would be best served if the We trust that the results of the Task Force work will prove helpful to you and the other public officials responsible for the ultimate dispensation of this special tract of land. We stand ready to meet with you to discuss our findings and recommendations in greater detail and to answer any questions you may have. Similarly, should you agree with the proposl we've recommended, we will be happy to try and assist you to move the recommendations prescribed'in the enclosed report toward implementation. We look forward to your response r^ l and sincerely appreciate the freedom you afforded the Task Force in drafting the findings and recommendations contained in our final report. f Sincerely, The. Damon Road Task Force 2 land remained or came under the public domain to allow a riverfront park and recreational facility to be created and maintained for public use. Although there were certainly other development options for this parcel, the Task Force was gradually persuaded that the unique character of the land tract, coupled with the lack of virtually any convenient public access points to the Connecticut, argued for a public, rather than private development. To this end, the Task Force's final report not only spells out recommendations to Mayor Musante and the Hampshire County Commissioners, but outlines implementation strategies currently available, and provides a schematic plan that encompasses the basic layout and components of the riverfront park proposed for this particular location. In this way, the Task Force has tried to make it certain that its recommendations are substantive, timely and achievable. What is now necessary is strategic leadership on the part of City and County officials. As a final point, which the Task Force would especially like to recognize and make known the outstanding cooperation of the owners of the property in question, (i.e. Mr. and Mrs. Jeffway and Messrs. August and Simeone) as well as Mr. Frank Horachek, Senior Real Estate Represenative for the Friendly Ice Cream Corporation. Although the recommendations of the Task Force may disappoint these individuals, they are not intended to be a commentary on the quality of the project they proposed for their Damon Road site. Rather, as emphasized above, the Task Force's recommendations are first and foremost a function of the type of land use and low density development the Task Force saw as most appropriate and which it was convinced would be most beneficial for decades to come. Stg,,- Timot W. Brennan, Chairman Thomas Dyer, Member TWB:sdw Terry Aunt, Member 0451T Peter McNulty, Member Steve Johnson, Member r' r V r L TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Letter of Transmittal Damon Road Task Force I. BACKGROUND 1 II. CHARGE OF THE TASK FORCE 1 III. TASK FORCE MEMBERSHIP 2 IV. TASK FORCE'S STUDY METHODOLOGY 3 V. TASK FORCE'S STUDY FINDINGS 5 VI. TASK FORCE'S RECOMMENDATIONS 7 A. Primary Recommendations 7 B. Subsidiary Recommendations 9 VII. PROPOSED CONCEPT PLANS 11 APPENDICES Appendix A: Legal Opinions of County and City Attorneys A -1 Appendix B: Correspondence Received Friendly Ice Cream Corporation. B -1 I. BACKGROUND In August of 1985, Northampton Mayor David B. Musante, with the concurrence of the Hampshire County Commissioners (i.e. Patrick Goggins, Paul Dineen and Pat Lewis Sackrey) convened an advisory task force of planners and engineers to undertake a comprehensive review and analysis of the tract of land abutting the west side of the Connecticut River running from the Route 9 Coolidge Bridge northerly to Elwell Island and a City -owned parcel of.conservation now typically used for agricultural purposes (see Figure #1). Formation of this so- called Damon Road Task Force was recommended by Mayor Musante in an attempt to objectively examine and address how this unique tract of real estate should best be handled by both the City and County governments. His action was also to respond to a growing public debate about a Friendly Ice Cream Corporation proposal to build a new family restaurant in close proximity to the intersection of Route 9 (Bridge Street) and Damon Road using a privately owned lot in combination with county -owned land situated immediately adjacent to this privately -owned lot. As the public debate over the Friendly Corporation's restaurant proposal intensified, questions arose concerning a host of issues including: zoning requirements, traffic impacts, minimum lot size requirements for development; and, the effects of a prior abandonment of Old Damon Road on the private lot on which Friendly's wishes to build their new restaurant, among others. As the debate among public officials and citizens continued over these and related questions, it also became apparent that a vote by the County Commissioners on whether or not to lease county -owned land to Friendly's would result in a tie vote given that the Chairman of the County Commissioners had decided to abstain from voting in order to avoid even the appearance of a conflict -of- interest. Similarly, on the City -side, real differences of opinion existed between the Mayor, Planning Director and other City officials about the most appropriate and desirable disposition of the land and what development impacts could be anticipated both pro and con. Thus, in an effort to both avoid an impasse and shed light on the most desirable course of action for the City and the County, Mayor Musante asked the members of the Damon Road Task Force to investigate the matter in detail and to come back to both the City and Hampshire County with a report on what the Task Force found as a result of its own research and what made the most sense for the collective public good of Northampton and the surrounding region. Mayor Musante made it clear that the Task Force should conduct its study independent of the City and the County governments to help insure that the findings and recommendations ultimately put forward were objective and took into full account the overall long -term benefit and welfare of the general public. With this as background, Mayor Musante with the blessing of the Hampshire County Commissioners, formed the Damon Road Task Force on August 1, 1985 and asked Timothy Brennan, Executive Director of the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, to serve as Task Force Chairman. The Task Force conducted its first in a series of meetings on August 6,,1985. II. CHARGE OF THE TASK FORCE The members of the Damon Road Task Force were not supplied with a formal, written charge outlining what their duties were to be or how and when they were to be accomplished. Consequently, the active members of the Task Force had to collectively agree on what they understood the basic objectives and RIVER CLEME L r L Name Affiliation responsibilities of the Task Force to be. Accordingly, the following summarizes what the members of the Damon Road Task Force understood their "charge" to be from the Mayor of Northampton and, in turn, the Hampshire County Commissioners: The Task Force shall conduct a thorough and objective analysis of the subject land tract along Damon Road and the Connecticut River from approximately the Route 9 Coolidge Bridge northerly to a point above Elwell Island. Based upon its analysis Task Force shall present findings and recommendations to the Mayor of Northampton and the Commissioners of Hampshire County regarding the most appropriate and beneficial use (or uses) of this highly unique tract of land taking into account such factors as ownership, access and egress, Connecticut River recreational potentials, traffic safety, zoning requirements, adjacent land use patterns, City and regionwide needs, public sentiments, funding requirements, etc. The findings and recommendations of the Task Force will be advisory in nature and are to be particularly targeted at decision makers of the City and Hampshire County. The Task Force should complete its work and report its findings and recommendations within a two to three month time span from the date of its formation. III. TASK FORCE MEMBERSHIP The actual number. of Task Force participants turned out to be slightly less than what Mayor Musante had envisioned when he first recommended its formation in August of 1985. This can be explained by the fact that the Mayor ultimately decided it would not be appropriate to have a member of the City's planning staff on the Task Force. Consequently, he did not appoint the City's Planning Director to the Task Force as was originally contemplated. Similarly, although a representative of the Massachusetts Department of Public Works (MDPW) was invited to sit on the Task Force, MDPW officials declined the invitation. In essence, MDPW officials felt that the issues before the Task Force were matters that could best be resolved between the City and the County and, therefore, the direct participation of a. state agency (i.e. the MDPW) was not warrented. With these two modifications, the size of the Task Force shrank from seven (7) to five (5) members. The five (5) Task Force members who did actively participate in the deliberations leading up to this report of findings and recommendations included: Terry Blunt Tim Brennan Tom Dyer Peter McNulty Steve Johnson 2 Connecticut Valley Action Program (a government /citizen cooperative effort) p ioneer Valley Planning Commission Massachusetts Department of Environmental Management Northampton Department of Public Works Hampshire County Planning Department IV_ TASK FORCE'S STUDY METHODOLOGY 3 In order to arrive at the study findings and recommendations outlined in this report, the Task Force used a methodology which consisted of the following major components: o Task Force Meetings Over the course of approximately two and a half months, the Damon Road Task Force met as a group on seven (7) occasions to conduct its research and deliberations. o On -Site Inspection As a group, the Damon Road Task Force made a detailed, on -site inspection of the tract of land in question on August 6, 1985. In addition, most of the Task Force members made numerous independent visits to the site or portions thereof, over the course.of the Task Force's fact finding research. o Legal Opinions Early on in the Task Force's own research and deliberations, it became clear that there were several complicated legal questions for which qualified legal opinions would be needed. Since this legal expertise did not exist among the Task Force's members, legal advice was sought via the Mayor and County Commissioners from the Northampton City Solicitor and the Hampshire County Attorney, respectively. County Attorney, Charles Maguire met with and was interviewed by the Damon Road Task Force on August 25, 1985. Subsequent to this meeting, Attorney Maguire provided the County Commissioners and the Task Force with a written legal opinion on a number of pertinent questions raised by the Task Force or others. A similar Task Force request was put to the Northampton City Solicitor, Terry Gleason. Attorney Gleason's written response, which was received on October 16th essentially advised the Task Force members that he was "in complete agreement" with the legal opinions already rendered to the Task Force by the County Attorney. Copies of the two legal opinions submitted to the Task Force can be found in Appendix A of this report. o Task Force Interviews In an effort to gather information which could be valuable,to the Task Force's deliberations and eventual study findings and recommendations, a number of interviews were held with select officials or persons with a direct interest and /or involvement in the subject tract of land being studied by the Task Force. Specifically, the individuals with which the Task Force met as a group to be interviewed included: Name Charles Maguire Robert Ulshoefer .Harley Sacks Affiliation Hampshire County Attorney Assistant Building Inspector- Northampton Attorney Representative Land Owners, S. August, R L Jeffway, M. Simeone Frank Horacek Friendly Ice Cream Corporation Larry Smith Northampton Planning Department Robert Jeffway Louise Jeffway Seymour August Mario Simeone o Title Research In an effort to help the Task Force clarify the owners and property lines of the various land parcels under study, as well as related issues such as land parcel sizes, right -of -way easements, disposition of public versus private rights of way, etc., Task Force member Steve Johnson conducted extensive research of title and plot plan records in the archives of the Hampshire County Registry of Deeds. Much of this information was used in conjunction with legal interpretations supplied by the County Attorney, as well as information put forth by Northampton officials and the owners or agents of the private land on which the Friendly Corporation's family restaurant was proposed to be built. o Personal Contacts With Damon Road Landowners Once the members of the Task Force had come to an agreement on the major recommendations they would put before the City and the County, it was also felt the Task Force should try and contact all of the landowners within the Damon Road corridor being studied by this group. The key purposes of personally contacting these landowners were: first, to share wth each landowner the Task Force's concept of a river- oriented recreational facility; second, to get a general sense of whether the individual(s) might be willing to sell their property for such a public purpose; and, finally, to seek any other comments or suggestions each landowner might wish to offer to the Damon Road Task Force's final report of findings and recommendations. Accordingly, all but one of the subject Damon .Road landowners was contacted by Task Force member Terry Blunt during October of 1985. Those contacted included the followig persons: Name /Address 1. Mr. John Bak 136 Damon Rd., Northampton 2. Mr. Alfred Cichy 21 Western Ave., Northampton 3. Mr. Moses Duteay 244 Damon Rd., Northampton 4. Ms. Viola Cziuba 230 Damon Rd., Northampton 5. Mr. Joseph P. Krok 30.1 Damon Rd., Northampton Co- owners of private lot adjacent to Damon Rod which is the land parcel proposed for use as a new Friendly's Family Restaurant. Description of Property Owned Owns house and large lot at northerly end of study area. Owns 1/2 acre of riverfront low- land between Coolidge Bridge and former B M Railroad Bridge. Owns small house and 17,600 square feet of property on Damon Road. Owns house trailer and 13,360 square feet of property on Damon Road. Owns house and auto body busi- ness situated on Damon Road. 5 One Damon Road property ower, Mr. Leo .Latham, could not be reached by the Task Force. According to Registry of Deeds information, Mr. Latham owns a house and two small lots on Damon Road which are approximately 7,800 and 3,364 square feet in size. V. TASK FORCE'S STUDY FINDINGS The members of the Damon Road Task Force concur on the following major study findings which, in turn, are the underpinnings of the Task Force recommenda- tions presented later in this report. The principal findings of the Task Force can be summarized as follows: 1. Despite the benefit of legal opinions provided by the City Solicitor and the County Attorney, the Task Force was not able to conclude decisively that the current owner of the private lot near the Damon Route /Route 9 intersection is of sufficient size (i.e., minimum 20,000 square feet) on which to legally build a restaurant facility under the provisions of Northampton's existing zoning regulations. In fact, as a result of the Task Force research, the members believe this is an extraordinarily complicated legal matter which in the final analysis may only be resolved by• the City's zoning enforcement officials or the courts. 2. Regardless of the legal questions and complications cited in finding #1 above, the Task Force was able to determine, without qualification, that the subject private lot is not of sufficient size to accommodate a Friendly restaurant facility even if such a land use is allowable by the City's zoning and building codes:; Based on Task Force interviews with a representative of the Friendly Corporation, a minimum site of approximately 40,000 square feet is needed for a basic restaurant facility. Consequently, it is understood that in order for a Friendly restaurant to be constructed on the currently proposed site, additional land will have to be obtained from the County by way of an outright purchase or long term lease. Given this reality, the County Commissioners are in a position to determine whether the Friendly's development proposal can go forward separate from the legal complications that have arisen since the Friendly Restaurant proposal was first announced. 3. Although the Task Force found that Friendly Corporation officials were cooperative and willing to entertain virtually any reasonable design option suggested to them. it is highly unlikely this flexibility extends to the suggestion that the Friendly Corporation build and maintain a variety of comfort and recreational related facilities at the site in conjunction with their proposed restaurant. This lack of enthusiasm was especially evident with respect to proposals that Friendly build and maintain rest rooms, showers and other comfort /convenience facilities that would support a new swimming facility for use by the City residents and the general public. Thus, the Task Force concluded that the likelihood of Friendly building or paying for such facilities was extemely remote. Correspondingly, the Task Force concluded that the possibilities for public /private cost- sharing on other recreational facilitis was moderate at best. The one exception is the proposed park and ride facility which Friendly's would be willing to construct and maintain in concert with their own plans. 6 The tract of land that the Task Force was asked to review and assess is highly unique and unable to be replicated anywhere else in the City. The finding stems from the fact that: the land directly abuts the Connecticut River; much of the tract is already in public ownership; the land has high potential for recreational related uses, most especially swimming and non -power boating; the land and banks of the Connecticut can be made accessible•to the public without need extensive excavation or development work; access via this land would help the City achieve pedestrian access to Elwell Island which presently is only accessible by boaters; and, the land tract lies adjacent to Damon Road which is being hard pressed to accommodate increasing volumes of traffic caused by intensifying commercial and retail development along this important local /regional highway corridor. 5. The westerly terminum point of the Five College Bikeway project will be situated just north of the intersection of Damon Road and Route 9 (Bridge Street). Consequently, the land tract examined by the Task Force is ideally suited to provide limitd parking in suport of this new regional bikeway along with, perhaps, complimentary comfort and convenience facilities which could be built in conjunction with the bikeway project itself. 6. Recent studies, as well as public opinion surveys,•have identified the need for limited public access points to the Connecticut River in the Greater Northampton vicinity for non powered water craft such as canoes, sailboats, rowing shells, etc. The Task Force found that the subject land tract, with modest support facilities, would be a superb location to accomplish these objectives thereby providing long -term benefits to the general public. 7 The beginning of a new commercial strip in Northampton is underway along Damon Road and is moving from the end points of the roadway (i.e., Route 9 and King Street) toward the middle. This development pattern is steadily eroding Damon Road's ability to effectively and safely handle growing volumes of vehicles which this development pattern is generating. If allowed to go unchecked, a strip development will eventually overwhelm the ability of Damon Road and its intersections to move traffic in a safe and efficient manner. Options available to improve or expand Damon Road are restricted and will be expensive to implement. Within the coming decade, the City envisions it will need to upgrade Damon Road which will be a difficult and expensive undertaking. Consequently, the City also needs to look for ways to manage the traffic using Damon Road to prevent its capacity from being overwhelmed. 8. In light of the unique characteristics of the land tract cited above, the Task Force does not find that the current proposal to change the existing zoning from highway business to urban residential would achieve a satisfactory level of protection nor a logical land use pattern in the Damon Road neighborhood. Rather, the Task Force found that a non intensive, recreational -based use of the land tract in question was the most preferred alternative for both the short and long range future. VI. TASK FORCE'S RECOMMENDATIONS A. Primary Recommendations 7 :In the Northampton segment of the Connecticut.River, publicly- owned land along the river banks is in short supply. Accordingly, the Task Force concluded that a priority concern of the City and County governments should be finding ways to retain and /or acquire the bulk of the subject land tract for use as non intensive recreation purposes which could be tied to the Connecticut River and /or the Five College Bikeway. In an instance where this may involve the acquisition of land from private property owners, the landowners would be fairly compensated only under negotiated sale arrangements and not eminent domain. 10. The Task Force found that the private lot owners (i.e., S. August, R. and L. Jeffway and M. Simeone) sincerely believe they have a minimum sized lot on which they are legally entitled to building "something" under the provisions of Northampton's current zoning regulations. Although the Task Force was unable to make a firm finding on this point -it was able to determine that the owners do not have a lot of adequate size to accommodate the Friendly's proposed family restaurant unless and until more County -owned land is obtained by way of an outright purchase or long term lease. With this consideration in mind, the Task Force was able to conclude that such a restaurant was not the best use of publicly -owned land regardless of the consistently -high quality of Friendly Ice Cream Corporation's development ventures. Simply put, the Task Force determined that in this instance, publically -owned land ought to stay in public ownership given its highly unique characteristics and extraordinarily high recreational potential this tract offers for decades to come. In accordance with the foregoing findings, members of the Damon Road Task Force have agreed on a series of recommendations to present to the Hampshire County Commissioners, Mayor Musante and a host of other public boards, departments, and officials for consideration and action. For clarity, these recommendations are grouped into two categories: (1) Primary Recommendations which directly respond to the charge given the Task Force at its inception; and, (2) Subsidiary Recommendations which the Task Force see as ancillary, yet complementary, measures that members believe should be pursued by the City and /or the County in conjunction with the group's primary recommendations. The Damon Road Task Force recommends that the tract of land reviewed and evaluated as part of its mission (and defined in Section I of this report) be consolidated under public ownership for the purpose of creating a new, riverfront park and recreational area fronting on the Connecticut River contiguous to Elwell Island and to Five College Bikeway. The Task Force wishes to underscore that this proposed recrational facility would be developed in a non intensive manner and be designed so as to be fully integrated with design plans for the westerly terminus of the Five College Bikeway which truncates on the same tract land. To achieve this end, the Task Force proposes that the City and. County governments join forces to move these recommendations from a conceptual plan to a definitive project by way of one of two possible implementation programs through which such a land consolidation could be achieved, namely: 8 1. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental- Management's land acquisition program whereby those land parcels not already owned by the City or the County would be acquired with state funds to create the consolidated tract of public land the Task Force envisions for creating its proposed riverfront park and recreational facility. or alternately* 2. The City of Northampton, with the cooperation and assistance of the Hampshire County Commissioners, could develop and submit a grant application under the Commonwealth's Division of Conservation Services' Self -Help Program which, if successful, would allow the City to make the necessary land acquisitions on a 90% State and 10% City matching basis. As the prior sections of this report indicate, a substantial amount of the Task Force's time and effort was devoted to trying to determine whether a privately owned lot situated near the intersection of Damon Road and Route 9 (Bridge Street) was of sufficient size to allow the owners to legally build a commercial structure under the provisions of Northampton's existing zoning and building regulations. Although making a definitive judgement on these questions did not prove possible, due mainly to highly complicated legal questions, the Task Force was able to determine that the subject lot was not sufficiently large to accommodate a Friendly restaurant without an additional 20,000 square feet of County -owned land being made available by way of a land sale or long -term lease. Given this the Task Force felt that the County -owned land should remain in public ownership while the lot owned by Mr. and Mrs. Jeffway, Messrs. August and Simeone should ideally be purchased at a fair market price for incorporation in the consolidated tract of public land that the Task Force is simultaneously recommending be devoted to a new riverfront park and recreational facility. If this preferred option proves impossible to achieve, the Task Force members realize and respect the legal right of the current landowners to pursue other development options legally available to them under the provision of Northampton's existing zoning and building codes. Again, however, the Task Force hastens to point out this would not extend to the Friendly restaurant proposal since the existing privately owned parcel is not of sufficient size to legally accommodate this type and scale of restaurant use at this location. This is not to be construed as a commentary on the merit of this type of development nor the Friendly Corporation which is widely renowned for the high quality of its development projects. Rather, it is the Task Force's response to the fundamental question put to it by Mayor Musante and the County Commissioners, that is, having taken all factors into account, what type of land use in the subject area will realize the most long -term benefits to the City and the surrounding region for years to come? In the best collective judgement of the Task Force, the answer to this question is that the tract of land in question should become part of the public domain and be devoted to a low density park and river- oriented recreational facility that capitalizes on the site's superb recreational potential due to its direct ties to the Connecticut River and the Five College Bikeway. This recommendation is heavily influenced by the fact that, despite the City's extensive amount of land fronting on the Connecticut River, there are virtually no public access sites to the Connecticut River for use by residents of the City or the surrounding area. Subsidiary Recommendations 9 Along with the Task Force's primary recommendations, members felt there were a number of subsidiary recommendations that should be articulated as part of its final report. Accordingly, these subsidiary recommendlations can be summarized as follows: 1. In concert with the public land acquisitions the Task Force has proposed, the members advocate that Northampton's Planning Board, Planning Department and City Council Ordinance Committee develop and follow- through on a proposal for rezoning the entire tract to a more appropriate type of zoning that will be in keeping with the recreational land uses and low- intercity development the Task Force is recommending herein. Moreover, the zoning should discourage the creation of a new commercial strip along the full extent of Damon Road which would, in turn, adversely affect the City's existing commercial and retail districts while eventually undermining Damon Road's ability to safely and efficiently handle the heavy volumes of vehicular traffic that a commercial strip land use pattern would undoubtedly attract. 2 Given the ever- increasing volume of local and regional traffic which Damon Road must now accommodate, the Task force is convinced that the need to reconstruct, improve and widen Damon Road is highly probable within the next decade. Consequently, the City's planning efforts should begin to recognize this need as well as the need to puruse federal and state Urban Systems funds to help pay for the costs of such roadway improvements. To this end, the Task Force suggests that City officials seek assistance from the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC) by requesting the PVPC to undertake a corridor analysis of Damon Road from Route 9 (Bridge Street) to King Street inclusive of the two heavily travelled intersections. Ideally, if this request is initiated by City officials within the current calendar year, study findings and recommendations could be available to Northampton officials within a year or two providing valuable guidance to the City, as well as the Massachusetts Department of Public Works, as to what improvements are required and what traffic safety and problems need to be tackled in conjunction with these anticipated roadway improvements. 3. Construction of parking to support the Five College Bikeway could be built to accommodate weekday commuters who might choose this site as a modest park -and ride facility as has been previously proposed for this location (but which has never advanced beyond the conceptual stage). Correspondingly, the Task Force believes it would be prudent that the size and extent of improvements made in connection with the park and ride facility be purposely kept modest at the outset and expanded only as actual needs and circumstances dictate. This approach has been successfully used for park and ride lots developed in other states, for example, the State of Connecticut. 4. Since there is no convenient public access port to the Connecticut River within the confines of Northampton, the Task Force strongly recommends that the proposed riverfront park include provisions for a cartop boat access point located near the Coolidge Bridge that would Ft' 0446T 10 be specifically geared to non powered water craft (e.g., canoes, rowing shells, sailboats, etc.). On this point, it is important to note that this is a need which has been documented in past studies and, most recently, by the Connecticut Valley Action Program in which both sponsors and participants have ascribed this as a high priority need for this segment of the Connecticut River. 5. In• conjunction with the creation of a new riverfront park, the Task Force believes that City officials also achieve improved pedestrian access to Elwell Island which presently can only be reached by boat owners or users. Along with this improved access to Elwell, the Task Force also sees an opportunity to establish, as Mayor Musante has suggested, a public swimming area for use by City residents and others. Among the innovative options available for access to Elwell is a scale version of a historically accurate ferry which could transport people to and from Elwell Island during the summer recreation season. The Task Force is aware that research regarding this possibility has already been suggested by the Northampton Historical Commission. 6. As has been previously noted, the Task Force strongly advocates that the scale and intensity of development of its proposed riverfront park be carefully managed so as to retain the unique characteristics of the land for more passive recreational purposes. To this end, the types of improvements that the Task Force has already identified, coupled with other types of improvements which the Task Force sees as desirable include: limited picnic areas, riverside interpretative trails, shoreline fishing sites, sensitively designed informational kiosks (to highlight information or the archaeologic history of the Valley, riverine ecology, historical, flood information and levels, etc.), benches, trash receptacles and a small comfort station to serve users of the proposed riverfront park as well as the Five College Bikeway. 7. Although the Task Force decided not to examine land use patterns or options along the westerly side of Damon Road, members felt additional study was warranted on the part of the City and any land use or traffic studies that might be initiated along this important corridor.