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Planning board continues review of 52 Woodbine Avenue after new plans arrive; DPW to complete utility review
Summary
The Planning Board continued the site-plan review for 52 Woodbine Avenue to Feb. 12 to allow DPW to review sewer and water separation, and to confirm tree-protection, stormwater and open-space details after the applicant submitted revised plans late in the day.
The Northampton City Planning Board on Jan. 22, 2026 voted to continue its review of a proposed multi-unit development at 52 Woodbine Avenue to Feb. 12 at 8:30 p.m., after staff and the applicant delivered new materials late in the day and DPW had not yet completed its review.
Carolyn, a planning department staff member, told the board the outstanding items include "more clarity on tree protection during construction," a still-unresolved connection to the Mass Central Rail Trail (the Department of Conservation and Recreation has declined to permit a private connection), and confirmation of where water and sewer lines will run to ensure required separation to each unit. Carolyn said the board can waive a required trail connection if the adjacent property owner (in this case DCR) will not allow access.
The applicant representative said the new submission includes stormwater-management drawings and the sewer/water connection details but acknowledged DPW has not had time to review them. The applicant described use of porous (pervious) asphalt on parts of the site and said that approach was intended to address stormwater-management concerns: "So we opted to do, pervious, asphalt instead. That solves it all." The board did not accept that as a final determination; members said DPW review is needed to confirm soils, maintenance responsibilities and long-term performance.
A Zoom commenter, Bess Detmold of 539 Woodbine, asked whether the new materials included the open-space calculations the board requested. Planning staff said the current plans show 49% open space; the requirement in the applicable district is 40%, and the applicant agreed to provide the computation on the revised plans so members can verify how areas such as porous driveways were counted.
Members also flagged practical items: one board member asked that the grading and erosion-control plans be re-plotted without extraneous plotting boxes to improve legibility before the board or DPW begins a detailed review.
Board member (Speaker 10) moved to continue the review to Feb. 12 at 8:30 p.m.; the motion passed and the board will reconvene that agenda item after DPW and planning staff finish their reviews. No final approvals or vote tallies were recorded in the transcript from the Jan. 22 meeting.
What happens next: DPW staff will review the sewer/water routing and the applicant will provide a clearer open-space breakdown and corrected plan plots. The board indicated it will then revisit the item at the Feb. 12 meeting.
