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Date: 3/28/2023
NORTHAMPTON — In a unanimous vote on March 23, the Planning Board approved a major site plan and special permit amendment for a multifamily apartment and an office building on 31 Chapel St.
Rebecca Li, a civil engineer from R Levesque Associates, presented the plans during the meeting, including the desire for a three-story apartment building and a two-story office building with a cumulative size of almost 28,000 square feet.
The apartment building specifically would have three egress points — one to the eastern side where the main entrance will be, one to the western side where the tenants can access a bike rack and the trash and recycling enclosure, and another to the north where tenants can access a sidewalk that runs east to west along the street.
The office building, meanwhile, will be associated with the apartment building and located on the eastern side of the property.
According to Li, the property of interest has been historically developed and was formerly known as the Metrix Auto Repair Shop, but in order for the desired project to continue, certain items like utility connections and the repair shop need to be demolished to accommodate site improvements.
The special permit that is being amended is the one that was issued for the redevelopment of the former Northampton State Hospital to be redeveloped into a mixed-use planned village. The amendment here included two additional parcels.
Charles Roberts, an associate of Kuhn Riddle Architects as well as an applicant for this project, was impressed by the site’s location and convenience, especially with it being a part of the Village Hill District.
“It’s an amazing site,” Roberts said. “It’s a gateway and exit way for Northampton in a lot of ways…We’ve done our best to take advantage of [the site] and be within the spirit of the Village Hill District, and creating housing opportunities while recognizing commercial development, as well.”
Roberts also went over architectural plans as well as floor plans associated with the buildings. He said the apartment building will include an elevator and a central circulation stairwell, and the basement level will include tenant storage and a mechanical area.
Holistically, the apartment building will contain a mixture of one- and two-bedroom apartments, along with some studio ones, as well. “We’re trying to create apartments that are affordable within scale,” said Roberts.
According to Li, the proposed project will include 22 parking spaces, including two spaces for electric vehicle parking spaces to promote energy efficiency and an “adequate” amount of ADA-accessible parking spaces as well as ADA-compliant ramps.
There was a concern about an overflow of parking since there are 22 apartments proposed and 22 parking spaces, but Li said that the zoning ordinance has a maximum of two parking spaces per unit. She also emphasized how one space per unit is typical for an apartment of this stature.
Planning Board Chair George Kohout brought up another issue pertaining to the bike rack, which he felt could be expanded to fit more bikes. The plan currently proposes seven bikes for the 22 apartments.
“Some of the apartments might have children, and at least 50 percent will have bikes,” Kohout said. “I would appreciate and recommend that you try and find a way to expand that bike shelter because I think you will find many of your tenants will have bikes.”
The applicant said there might be a possibility for expansion of the bike rack but they also said that the storage space in the building could be utilized for bikes.
Despite the minor concerns, Kohout and others on the Planning Board felt like this is a “splendid” project.