Northampton's Citizen's Advisory Committee (CAC), the group charged with overseeing development on the site of the former Northampton State Hospital, met on Wednesday, March 4 to tie up a loose end.
Last fall, the committee debated the merits of a revised site plan for the housing development on Hospital Hill. The plan had no strong advocates. Committee members voiced concern that it was a departure from their stated goal of a village-like setting with a mix of commercial and residential buildings; the revised plan included over 100 new houses, overwhelming the scant commercial development. Many changes were requested, including the possibility of adding a community center, a park at the center of the development, and a more substantial memorial to the former state hospital and its patients.
Two meetings had been opened to public commentary, and the majority of the residents who spoke either had serious concerns about the plan or rejected it outright. Of all the speakers, only Jonathan Wright, whose Wright Builders is currently building 11 half-million-dollar mansions on the hill, urged approval of the plan so that those buying his properties will have an idea of the neighborhood they're moving into.
Ultimately, unable to get any agreement on the plan, the chair of the committee, Northampton Mayor Mary Clare Higgins, asked the committee to simply vote on the concept of adding 100 extra houses sometime in the future. This was approved in December with two dissenting votes and one person abstaining.
Apparently, though, just voting on the idea wasn't sufficient. The CAC's role is to vote on changes to the master plan. In order for MassDevelopment, the site's official developer, to proceed, the plan needed to be approved.
Attorney Bruce Fogel said he felt uncomfortable voting on a plan that was just illustrative and might not be realized. Dan Yacuzzo pointed out that that's all they've ever done in the nearly 15 years they've sat on the board.
Several committee members reiterated Jonathan Wright's urging for plan approval, but no other criticisms they'd heard from the public were revisited. There was no mention of community centers or memorials, and the CAC voted their approval quickly. Only Harriet Diamond, who had voted against the 100 extra houses, voted against the plan. Fogel, who had abstained from voting last time, and Joe Blumenthal, who had rejected the 100 extra houses, both approved the plan.
