Planning Board approves two-family home at 1005 Park Hill Road with tree-protection and DPW conditions

The Northampton Planning Board on March 27 approved a site plan and special permit for a two-family dwelling at 1005 Park Hill Road in the Florence neighborhood, with conditions requiring Department of Public Works (DPW) review of revised plans, proof of the public shade-tree hearing, and tree-protection measures on private property.

The application, listed in the meeting notice as filed by Jonathan Goddard, was presented by John Goddard, a landscape architect with Southampton Consulting Group, who described a two-unit building set into a slope with one-story garage level and three-bedroom units above. Goddard said each unit would have one garage space and one exterior parking space — two spaces per unit — and that the plan locates most runoff to a rain garden while keeping total impervious area under 10 percent of the parcel.

Board members and staff discussed site constraints including steep slopes, large existing oak trees along the frontage, and that the property lies within the city’s Water Supply Protection District. John Goddard said the disturbance envelope is “a little over half an acre” (about 26,000 square feet) and that the design uses an alternative septic (presby-style) system to reduce footprint. He noted the proposal maps 18 significant trees, four classified as public shade trees, and that about 11 trees on the parcel would be impacted under the current plan.

Carolyn (city staff) and board members flagged DPW comments requiring removal of grading from the public right-of-way, stormwater/driveway slope checks, and coordination on public shade-tree removals. Carolyn explained that removal or mitigation of public shade trees is handled through a separate public hearing process overseen by the city’s tree warden and urban forestry commission and that any required mitigation in the right-of-way is distinct from private-property tree mitigation under zoning.

As conditions of approval the board required: submission of DPW‑compliant revised plans to DPW prior to site work, proof that the applicant has completed the public shade-tree hearing process, installation and verification of tree protection on private property per the applicant’s arborist (with arborist certification), and tree replacement or payment into the city tree fund totaling 16 inches of replacement-caliper trees or as determined at final calculation at certificate of occupancy. The board also approved administrative flexibility for minor driveway/hammerhead modifications provided the final impervious area does not increase from the plan before the board.

Chris Tate moved to approve the special permit and site plan; Janet White seconded. The board voted in favor; the chair announced the approval as unanimous.

The board closed the public hearing on the application before voting; no members of the public spoke at the meeting on this item. Staff and the applicant will coordinate final plan revisions with DPW, the urban forestry commission/tree warden public hearing, and the city arborist inspections prior to any site work or building permit issuance.

The applicant, project team and staff were directed to provide the revised DPW drawings and supporting arborist documentation, and staff indicated tree-caliper accounting will be completed at final inspection.