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Date: 10/31/2023
NORTHAMPTON — Four City Councilors presented a resolution in support of the Picture Main Street project during the Oct. 19 City Council meeting.
The resolution, sponsored by Councilors Alex Jarrett, James Nash, Karen Foster and Marianne LaBarge, illustrates how the Picture Main Street project is consistent with the city’s adopted legislation over the past two decades to increase safety on the city’s public ways by making them more accessible, walkable and cyclable.
“The Northampton City Council recognizes and stands by the more than 20 years of planning by our elected and appointed officials that will lead to a safer, greener and more vibrant downtown, with their thorough planning reflected in Picture Main Street,” the resolution read.
Background
The city has embarked on a major redesign of Main Street and downtown Northampton over the past few years, securing funding through the Transportation Improvement program — state and federal government funding that amounts to $19 million for a project that will cost $21 million in total.
The goal is to provide a safer functioning downtown area with improved accessibility for all users.
To prepare for these new improvements, the city has conducted several public meetings over the past few years to discuss design alternatives for Main Street and help narrow the design possibilities down to one so 25% plans can be submitted to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to move the project forward.
“The primary reason for redesigning Main Street is to address deficiencies in safety that have resulted in Northampton’s Main Street being one of the more dangerous Main Streets in the commonwealth when comparing crash data and injuries,” Planning and Sustainability Director Carolyn Misch told Reminder Publishing back in the spring.
After public discussion and other city conversations, Northampton decided on one alternative to submit to MassDOT for the 25% design phase, which was eventually presented during a public meeting on April 26.
According to the city’s website, the project begins west of the intersection of Elm and West Streets and extends approximately 0.4 miles east to the intersection of Market and Hawley Streets.
The proposed design that is being presented provides one travel lane in each direction with a center running flush median that will afford space for turning vehicles at key locations.
Additionally, separated bike lanes are proposed on both sides of the roadway for the entire project, including as part of the proposed widened sidewalk facilities.
Other amenities like enhanced lighting, tree plantings, bus stop accommodations, reconfigured parking and dedicated spaces for loading and deliveries are part of the proposed design.
But over the past couple months, Northampton residents have expressed concerns about the construction length, traffic congestion and what type of impact the construction would have on downtown businesses, among other things.
A petition called “Save Northampton Mass. Main Street — keep Main Street accessible for all” started on Aug. 14 and has since garnered over 1,800 signatures.
“Traffic congestion will be unbearable, generating significant emissions from idling vehicles,” read the petition. “The public will avoid downtown Northampton, which is still struggling to recover from the COVID[-19] pandemic.”
The petition listed about 12 concerns with the new construction, including emergency vehicle access, snow removal, an elimination of parking and much more.
In response to these concerns, Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra released a document with frequently asked questions about the project.
“This document aims to address concerns, clear up any misconceptions and provide accurate information to the public regarding this critical project,” Sciarra said in her announcement.
At 16 pages long, the document addresses a majority of the issues expressed by residents including the proposed elimination of 57 parking spaces, congestion/climate concerns, emergency vehicle access, concerns around a separate bike lane and more.
“Multiple studies agree that downtown has enough parking,” reads the document. Within a block or two of where you’re going, there is a spot — and remember that there is a parking garage with a bridge leading right into Thornes Market in the heart of downtown that always has spaces available, and the first hour is free. Numbers show that about 12% of the people who park there pay nothing, 20% pay just 75 cents for two hours, and another third pay $1.50 for three hours.”
As for the concerns around how the project will affect businesses, Sciarra’s document states that the city is taking a cyclical approach to how the construction is finished and they also plan to work with businesses to find the best approach possible.
The project, spread over three seasons, will have phases of intense activity followed by quieter periods,” the document reads. “This cyclical nature offers both challenges and windows of opportunity. To navigate this, we’re in close collaboration with the business community and Toole Design to strategize ways to mitigate the impact and maximize business benefits.
“Our city’s economic development team is also actively brainstorming events, exhibits and special programming to draw people downtown and support businesses during the construction phases,” the document continues.
Readers can read more about the mayor’s document by visiting the FAQ link: https://northamptonma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/23230/Picture-Main-Street-FAQ-PDF? Or by visiting Reminder Publishing’s prior coverage of the document: http://archives.thereminder.com/localnews/northampton/northampton-mayor-answers-concerns-around-main-str/.
Addressing some concerns during City Council
One of the concerns expressed by residents and addressed by Sciarra and other city leaders was a question about whether emergency vehicles would be able to make it through the new design.
During the council meeting, Fire Chief Andrew Pelis said the Fire Department was able to make minor suggestions to the current plan to make sure their vehicles could get through. He said the current plan supports their vehicles.
“I’m thoroughly confident that all of our vehicles will be able to maneuver through Main Street and make all side streets as well,” Pelis said.
Police Chief Jody Kasper, meanwhile, also said that she had no concerns with fitting vehicles through the new design, saying that the department has some loading zones and other pull-off areas they can utilize if need be.
“This street is larger than almost all the others in the city,” Kasper said, of Main street. “We navigate and are able to park fine in areas like Pleasant Street, which is a tight street, but we haven’t had issues getting ourselves to emergency situations, so I don’t have any concerns about that.”
Another issue expressed by residents was snow removal with the new design. DPW Director Donna LaScaleia said during the meeting that she is confident that snow removal on the redesigned Main Street will be like any other area downtown.
“It’s not anything extraordinary, and it will be folded into our regular snow operations like any other roadway construction project is,” LaScaleia said, of snow removal with the new design.
The other aspect of the project addressed during the meeting and in the FAQ document was accessibility. Currently, the project calls for several changes to improve accessibility including wider sidewalks to make it easier for wheelchairs and strollers to pass and relocating crosswalks to offer safer and shorter distances. In all, there are about 10 changes that address accessibility according to the project plans.
“There many remarkable improvements in here,” Sciarra said, of the accessibility changes.”
City Councilors’ thoughts
The Picture Main Street project essentially garnered unanimous approval from the council, as each spoke about why the project will be beneficial to the city.
As the longest-tenured Councilor, LaBarge noted how she has had a front row seat to a lot of the major plans developed by Northampton over the past three decades, including the development of the Sustainable Northampton Plan in 2008. She feels that the Picture Main Street project falls right in line.
“I’m happy that I was involved in all these years of making what’s happening right now in the city of Northampton something that I feel is change,” LaBarge said. “Change has to happen, and I do support the redesign of Main Street.”
Jarrett showed support for the resolution’s commitment to illustrating the history of Northampton’s major plans and how they all led up to Picture Main Street.
“I believe that [Picture Main Street’s] design is entirely consistent with these policies,” Jarrett said. “The details of this design are not done, but the broad plan is done, and what I am asking, and I think what other sponsors here are asking is for us to come together on that broad plan.”
Ward 4 City Councilor Garrick Perry also commended the redesign and called the project a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
On a personal note, Perry noted how this project is happening in his ward, where he has spent most of his adult life becoming the person he is today because of downtown Northampton.
“I am looking forward to my children experiencing a Northampton that I love but also something that is different and unique to them.”
The plan is for the City Council to revisit the resolution at their next meeting.