By MARY SERREZE NORTHAMPTON — Hampshire Superior Court Justice Cornelius J. Moriarty ruled on Thursday that city economic development director Teri Anderson is not exempt from public records law when it comes to her communication with the Three County Fairgrounds Redevelopment Corporation. Anderson was until recently a voting member of the corporation’s board of directors. [...]

Sacred Heart’s Development Plan Got the Nod Two Weeks Ago, But Confusion Over Counting Votes Convinced City Officials To Schedule A Re-Do on the Final Outcome.   NORTHAMPTON – The Planning Board, which botched up a vote two weeks ago on the revised site plan for the Sacred Heart Church property on King Street, will [...]

While the Catholic church’s expansion plan on King Street gets the nod, confusion over whether a 3-2 Planning Board vote constituted passage or rejection leaves some participants with a sour aftertaste.   NORTHAMPTON – The Planning Board has approved a site plan by the city’s Roman Catholic parish to build a new 14,350 square-foot parish [...]

The WW2 Club Gets Permits for Outdoor Patio Drinking and a License Pledge NORTHAMPTON – The World War II club on Conz Street has been granted an extension of premises for its liquor license to allow patrons to take their drinks outside to the patio. The License Commission granted the permit with a 2-0 vote Wednesday, [...]

The measure will create Planning Board architectural review powers on one side of West Street in anticipation of more development by Smith College NORTHAMPTON — Smith College, as an educational institution, doesn’t need to comply with many of the city’s zoning laws.  But if a measure before the City Council passes on Jan. 20, Smith will [...]

After meeting with neighbors late Wednesday, Father John Connors agreed to take another look at plans for a new parish house at the Sacred Heart Church on King Street. Connors also agreed to postpone a site plan hearing until December. *** NORTHAMPTON – A face-off expected at tonight’s Planning Board was avoided late Wednesday when [...]

King Street Church Wants Big Parish Hall; Hearing on Thursday NORTHAMPTON — The Catholic church formerly known as Sacred Heart — renamed St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in January — will go before three city committees on Thursday night in its bid to tear down two buildings and construct a new, 14,000 square-foot parish hall and [...]

Colvest Northampton LLC, which bought the site for $5.3 million in 2007, will invest another $4 million there, firm president says. NORTHAMPTON – The Planning Board Thursday night OK’ed a revised site plan for Colvest Northampton LLC to redevelop the former Hill & Dale mall at 327 King St. The site has been a mostly [...]

After quitting his city post, committee chairman blames conflict of interest for undermining effective zoning review on the city’s busiest commercial strip. NORTHAMPTON — Nationally known urban planner Joel Russell, who abruptly quit the city’s Zoning Revisions Committee (ZRC) last week amidst a turf war with the Northampton Area Chamber of Commerce over King Street zoning, [...]

NORTHAMPTON — Cars aren’t the devil. At least that’s what a proposed plan for King Street — Northampton’s “Miracle Mile“— has to convey. The 33-page plan, unveiled on June 10 — called “Rezoning King Street: Findings and Recommendations” — was developed by the Northampton Area Chamber of Commerce over a period of six months. (download [...]

The former restaurant and apartments where two Florence therapists wanted to move their pediatric practice. NORTHAMPTON – A Florence physical therapist and her husband have scrapped their plan to buy and convert a former restaurant at 285 Prospect St. into a pediatric therapy center. Diane M. Droescher and her husband Robert R. Myers, whose Advanced [...]

Parcel 1, purchased in 1969; Parcel 2, purchased in 1988. excerpt from Planning Director Wayne Feiden’s Feb. 12 memo to DPW Chief Ned Huntley. City Planner Carolyn Misch, citing an opinion from zoning lawyer Mark Bobrowski dated March 18, wrote in a recent memo that the  the city’s landfill should not require a special permit [...]