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Planning Board members report issues with Northampton website, discuss permit access and printing options
Summary
At the Jan. 9 Northampton Planning Board meeting members raised problems accessing city planning documents on mobile devices; staff explained mapping tools and offered to print large plan sheets for site visits.
Members of the Northampton City Planning Board raised access problems with the city’s planning website during the Jan. 9 meeting, describing intermittent glitches on iPads and iPhones and seeking ways to obtain large printed plan sets for site visits.
"The Northampton website is just atrocious," Sam said, recounting repeated glitches on an iPad that caused pages to flash white and reset while he tried to view permit information. Sam said he recorded the behavior and shared a video with the mayor’s office and asked that the subcontractor responsible for the site be held accountable for persistent issues affecting permit access.
Planning Department staff (Carolyn) told the board that the office can arrange to have 24-by-36 inch plan sheets printed at a local printer (Paradise) on request to support on‑site review and that some applicants sometimes provide extra hard copies. Staff also explained the two ways to look up parcel ownership and parcel data: the assessor’s web map (which is updated less frequently) and the planning office’s interactive map with an ownership layer that allows users to click a parcel to view data.
Board members discussed an upcoming larger permit for the former Saint Mary’s Church and indicated interest in a coordinated site visit when that application is scheduled. No formal action was taken; staff offered practical assistance (printing and map instructions) and will follow up if board members request printed plan sets.
The exchange included other members’ experience: Stacy and Chris said they had not experienced the same mobile glitches and had been able to access documents on their devices. The discussion noted that updated plan versions appear at the top of document listings so reviewers can find the most recent submittal easily.
Because the items raised were operational and technical rather than policy decisions, the board did not adopt a formal motion; staff follow‑up and offers to provide printed plan sets concluded the discussion.
