The Northampton City Planning Board on Oct. 23 continued a multi-month site-plan review for a proposed project at 106 Industrial Drive by Michael Schafer to Nov. 13 at 7 p.m., after the applicant did not appear and staff described outstanding stormwater and conservation-commission steps.

Carolyn Mich, staff, told the board she had been in contact with the applicant over the prior three days and said, “I think maybe he misinterpreted when I said that I think that we can close the hearing that he felt like and he is in Albany, so maybe he thought he didn't need to come.” Mich said revised plans had addressed many earlier concerns — including bicycle storage, lighting and landscaping — but that stormwater calculations and the area of disturbance had been changing until late in the week.

Mich said the Department of Public Works (DPW) and the stormwater manager had reviewed the materials and “just this afternoon at 04:00, DPW signed a waiver saying it's under an acre, you can move forward, but you can't go beyond, you know, if you start inching up and you get over an acre during construction, you'll have to stop everything and come back in for a permit.” Mich recommended the board allow the project to “go to the next level, for conservation commission” because conservation-commission review is still required.

Board members said several had not reviewed the file recently and would be uncomfortable voting. One member said, “I just assumed this was going to be continued again and didn't review the files,” and others said they would abstain rather than vote in favor without having refreshed themselves on the materials. Given those concerns and the applicant's absence, a board member moved to continue the review to Nov. 13; the motion was seconded and passed by roll-call vote.

The board and staff agreed any building permit should be conditioned on final documentation that pre- and post-construction runoff will be equal and that the conservation commission must review and act on the application. Mich noted that if construction later expands the disturbance beyond one acre, the applicant would need to stop and return for a stormwater permit.

Action at a glance: the board continued the site-plan review for Michael Schafer, 106 Industrial Drive, to Nov. 13 at 7 p.m.; additional stormwater documentation and conservation-commission review remain required before final permits can issue.

Proper names mentioned in the hearing included Michael Schafer, Department of Public Works (DPW) and the Northampton Conservation Commission. The applicant was not present at the Oct. 23 hearing.