| |
Marking an important step in Smith’s
science and engineering expansion, the college and the city signed a development
agreement on August 17, 2005 that sets forth a number of short- and long-term planning
measures and commitments regarding the college's science expansion in the Green/West
streets area. President Christ described the agreement as an important milestone,
saying Smith “is pleased to have worked with the city to find solutions that
serve not only the college but the health and vibrancy of Northampton as well.” Read
the text of the agreement below.
Agreement made this 17th day of August, 2005,
by and between the CITY OF NORTHAMPTON, 210 Main Street, Northampton, MA 01060, a
municipal corporation acting by and through its Mayor (hereinafter "CITY") and THE
TRUSTEES OF THE SMITH COLLEGE, College Hall, Northampton, MA 01063 (hereinafter the "COLLEGE").
WHEREAS the COLLEGE intends to develop its campus in
the Green Street, West Street, Belmont Avenue area of Northampton (the "Area"); and
WHEREAS the CITY wants to maintain residential housing
in the downtown area of Northampton and not incur a loss to its tax base as a result
of the COLLEGE's development in the area; and
WHEREAS it is the COLLEGE'S intent to direct and develop
further campus expansion in the Area. Specific plans include the present one for
a three story, approximately 140,000 square foot engineering and molecular sciences
building. Over the next two decades, the COLLEGE anticipates planning for other academic
buildings in the Area; and
WHEREAS, development of the West Street corridor is
an important aspect of the CITY's long term planning and this Agreement is to facilitate
the CITY's planning process in connection with the COLLEGE's future development plans
for the Area;
NOW, THEREFORE, the CITY and the COLLEGE agree as follows:
1. Housing—The COLLEGE and the CITY have agreed
to the principle that the COLLEGE's development in the Area will result in no "net" loss
of housing in the CITY. The COLLEGE makes the commitment that its development of
academic buildings in the Area during the term of the Agreement will cause no net
loss in the number, quality, or affordability of housing units in the CITY. Replacement
housing units will be within walking distance of downtown (defined as within one
mile from Main Street). The COLLEGE commits itself to the goal that replacement housing
units shall include deed restrictions for a period of 99 years co-held by the CITY
to ensure their continuing affordability to people earning no more than 80% of median
income. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in order to facilitate desirable housing replacement
projects, the advisory committee for the Smith Affordable Housing Replacement Fund
may recommend exceptions to the norm of deed restrictions, subject to approval of
the Mayor and the COLLEGE. If no acceptable location for replacement housing units
is available within one mile of Main Street after diligent search, the parties agree
to cooperate to identify other locations. The COLLEGE's commitment applies only to
housing in the Area that is displaced by action of the COLLEGE.
2. Residential Tenants—The COLLEGE will continue
to work with residential tenants in the Area that will be displaced (the "Tenants")
on a case-by-case basis to provide transition and relocation assistance, with an
allowance of $2,500 per unit, for Tenants displaced from the Area as a result of
the COLLEGE's development in the Area during the term of the Agreement. The COLLEGE
will provide a minimum of sixty days notice of termination to the Tenants. If a Tenant
does not vacate the premises on the date specified in the notice, no allowance or
relocation assistance shall be due the Tenant. Tenants whose tenancies are terminated
for reasons other than cause and for whom alternative housing is not located will
be offered housing in the replacement housing outlined under item one as part of
the COLLEGE's assistance. This section shall apply only to tenants whose housing
unit is left permanently vacant by the COLLEGE subsequent to their tenancy. Relocation
assistance shall be paid only once for each unit. Any sums due the COLLEGE by a tenant
entitled to relocation assistance shall be deducted from the relocation assistance
payment.
3. Commercial Tenants—The COLLEGE will negotiate
payment of relocation or transition assistance, on a case-by-case basis, with commercial
tenants in the Area affected by termination or non-renewal of leases. If a commercial
tenant requests participation by the CITY in the negotiations, the COLLEGE will include
the CITY in the negotiations.
4. Commercial Space—The COLLEGE will continue
to allow commercial use in the building at the southwest corner of West Street and
Green Street until July 1, 2015. After that date, if the COLLEGE no longer
wishes to maintain that location for commercial use, the COLLEGE will engage in a
planning process with the CITY to locate 10,000 square feet of replacement commercial
space in the Area if it is deemed commercially viable, or in another agreed upon
location. The CITY and the COLLEGE agree to reach a mutually acceptable solution
before the COLLEGE proceeds with development of its campus. If the Mayor and the
COLLEGE agree, commercial space may be replaced by other publicly accessible space
designed to add vibrancy to the street.
5. Real Estate Taxes—The COLLEGE and the CITY
agree to the principle that the COLLEGE's development in the Area will result in
no "net loss" of real estate taxes to the CITY. The time at which "no net loss" is
determined is the time any property is removed from the tax rolls. At the time the
property is removed from the tax roll by the Assessors, the COLLEGE will make quarterly
payments to the CITY in the amount of the tax that was exempted (removed from the
tax roll). The amount of the payment shall increase effective July 1 st of each year
by the same percentage as the increase for the City's average tax bill for that fiscal
year. This payment shall be reduced by the amount of real estate tax from any exempt
property the COLLEGE returns to the tax roll, and the tax on any property assessments
that are added to the tax roll as a result of the COLLEGE's compliance with the terms
of this Agreement at the time the property is returned or the increase is assessed
and added to the tax roll. This shall specifically include any increase in the assessment
of 36 Bedford Terrace and adjacent parking lot after its refurbishment and new construction.
This paragraph shall survive the expiration of the agreement.
6. Zoning—The Mayor will sponsor and the Office
of Planning and Development will support zoning that will accommodate the COLLEGE's
plans for development of the Area and integration into its campus. The CITY will
adopt an Educational Use (EU) overlay zoning district for the COLLEGE's campus, bounded
by Kensington Avenue, Elm Street, Round Hill Road, State Street, West Street and
the property of the former Northampton State Hospital. The overlay district will
provide for educational uses as an allowed (A) use. The dimensional requirements
shall remain the same as the underlying district for land within thirty (30) feet
of the line of the overlay district, but shall have no frontage, area, open space
or set back requirements inside the thirty (30) foot line. The height requirement
shall be at least fifty-five (55) feet at the thirty-foot line and increasing on
a one to one slope (1 x 1) for each foot in back of the line to a maximum of eighty-five
(85) feet. The parking requirements will be resolved as a result of the study in
Paragraph #7. This Agreement and the COLLEGE's obligations under this Agreement are
expressly contingent upon the adoption or approval by the CITY of the foregoing ordinances,
permits or votes.
7. Parking Study—The CITY and the COLLEGE agree
that when the COLLEGE completes a parking master plan in cooperation with the CITY
and the parties mutually reach an agreement on how many parking spaces are needed
to serve all COLLEGE uses, the location of parking spaces, opportunities for shared
Smith/public parking facilities, transportation demand measures Smith can undertake
to reduce parking demand, and Smith's schedule to implement these changes, the Mayor
will sponsor and the Office of Planning and Development will support a zoning change
so that parking is based on the agreed-upon documented needs and not based on a per-square-foot
requirement. This Agreement and the COLLEGE's obligations under this Agreement are
expressly contingent upon the adoption or approval by the CITY of the foregoing ordinances,
permits or votes.
8. Streets—(a) The Mayor will sponsor and the
Office of Planning and Development will support the discontinuance of the unused
fifteen-foot stub at the end of Arnold Avenue and the discontinuance of some on-street
parking on Belmont Avenue to allow two-way traffic north of the new loading dock,
provided the COLLEGE replaces the lost parking. This Agreement and the COLLEGE's
obligations under this Agreement are expressly contingent upon the adoption or approval
by the CITY of the foregoing ordinances, permits or votes.
(b) The CITY further agrees to work with the COLLEGE
on the future discontinuances of Green Street and of portions of Belmont Avenue
as part of the COLLEGE's development of the Area. The COLLEGE will do a comprehensive
circulation and traffic study for the Green Street/West Street precinct prior to
the COLLEGE petitioning for discontinuance of Green Street or Belmont Avenue.
9. Site Plan—The CITY and the COLLEGE agree that
the commitments contained in this letter of intent are contingent on the Planning
Board granting a Site Plan Approval Permit to the COLLEGE for the engineering and
molecular sciences building.
10. Future building design—The COLLEGE agrees
that during the term of this Agreement, any future COLLEGE plans for buildings in
the Area will integrate buildings and landscape design with the campus, streetscape
and neighborhood, consistent with the following principles:
- Locate new buildings along West Street in a manner that is densely developed,
oriented to the street and frames the street, enhances the streetscape, and creates
an urban, pedestrian-friendly corridor at the ground floor, connecting downtown,
the Smith/Green/West Street neighborhood, and the Village at Hospital Hill. For
buildings along West Street, among the building alternatives considered will be
massing and scale that is similar to the existing residential scale, such as use
of stepped-up facades, bays, courtyards and other design options, and/or more urban-style
facades built near the sidewalk edge that include ground floors with active uses.
- Pay particular attention to the campus/neighborhood interface; i.e., porous facades
facing public streets as well as inner campus; balance of interior and exterior
focus/views; sensitive siting and design of back side of buildings, dumpsters,
loading docks, mechanicals, and parking lots to support the urban corridor.
- Minimize new curb cuts onto public ways; i.e., limit new service access driveways
onto West Street.
- Extend pedestrian-focused core campus to the science complex and create pedestrian
pathways linking green spaces, buildings, streets, campus, neighborhood, and the
parking garage, considering elements such as sidewalk width and street trees.
11. Information Sharing—The COLLEGE agrees to
notify the CITY in a complete and timely manner of any issues or planning direction
that would have a significant impact on the issues in this Agreement.
12. Term—The term of this Agreement shall be
thirty (30) years from the date of signing, except for Section 5.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have set their
hands and seals as of this 17th day of August, 2005.
CITY OF NORTHAMPTON
Signed by Mayor Mary Clare Higgins
THE TRUSTEES OF THE SMITH COLLEGE
Signed by President Carol T. Christ |
|
Construction
Updates
Contact
Information
Project
Background
News & Events
Project
Labor
Agreement
Educational
Use
Overlay Zone
Webcam
Letters to
the
Community |
