New density dogs neighborhood

By GRETA JOCHEM

Staff Writer

NORTHAMPTON — Rue Walther moved to the Bay State Village neighborhood in 2004, drawn to it in part because she could afford it. She bought an 840-square-foot home for $185,000.

She knew her next-door neighbor had a large lot, but when it was sold, she never imagined multiple houses would be built there.

“All of a sudden, one day I looked out and there were two foundations going in,” she said of the area next to her house, which has become 8 and 12 Warner St.

At that corner of Warner and Federal streets, there was one house on a piece of land that was actually two parcels, said Carolyn Misch, the city’s assistant director of planning and sustainability. John Handzel of Nu-Way Homes in East Longmeadow bought the land and split it into four parcels where there will be four homes, she said, including newly built 8 and 12 Warner St.

Walther is one of a number of neighbors concerned about the size and density of new homes built or in the works in their neighborhood. They worry this type of development is changing their neighborhood — including making it more expensive. Some have formed a group, “Save Bay State Village” to address the issue, which many blame on city zoning.

Walther now abuts the newly built Warner Street homes.

“All of the sudden I went from buying a house in a lovely little neighborhood where people had yards to realizing I have a house that’s next door to what I like to refer to as the compound,” Walther said.

As a teacher who spent most of the last year working remotely, Walther also took issue with the construction noise and said she had to teach from a friend’s house.

Down the street at 61 Warner St., Handzel plans to knock down the existing house and turn the property into three lots, Misch said. However, the Historical Commission decided the property meets the criteria to be considered “preferably preserved,” and enacted a demolition delay through October, though that could change if certain requirements are met, according to Sarah LaValley, the city’s conservation and preservation planner.

In August, Nu-Way homes also bought 39 Landy Ave., which is part of the same neighborhood. Misch said Handzel has not yet filed plans for the property yet, but that if he wanted to, he could put at least two homes on the property, and possibly three,. Handzel declined to comment for this story.

Debra Bercuvitz, who is involved in the Save Bay State Village group,

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Jackie Vallance takes a walk down Warner Street in the Bay State Village section of Northampton on Friday, Feb. 19, past new construction at 8 and 12 Warner St. The parcel was once part of 170 Federal St., seen in background at far left. Below, Diane Scott talks about the development on nearby Landy Street. Behind her is 39 Landy St., where multiple houses may be built.

STAFF PHOTO/KEVIN GUTTING

STAFF PHOTO/CAROL LOLLIS

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takes issue with the scale and density of the new homes.

“He’s maximizing every possible dollar he can get out the projects at the expense of the neighborhood,” she said of the developer.

Bercuvitz said affordability is a major concern of hers,as the neighborhood has been one of the most affordable in Northampton. She does not believe the new homes are going to help more people afford housing.

“It’s going to help more people afford $600,000 or $650,000 houses,” she said.

The home at 12 Warner St., built by Nu-Way Homes and next to Walther, was listed on Williams Raveis as a 1,871square-foot home priced at $598,000, while 8 Warner St. is listed at $579,900 and is under contract by Coldwell Banker Realty. Neither has officially sold, according to county property records.

“I am just predicting it’s going to be pretty impossible for anyone to buy a house in Bay State at this point … The land has become too valuable,” Bercuvitz said. “My phrase is, “yards are monetized” … a yard has become a building lot or a small house has become a tear-down for multiple houses.”

Jackie Ballance, who is also active in the Save Bay State Village group, sometimes refers to the neighborhood development as “the nightmare on Warner Street” or as “the green monsters,” referring to the green house wrap on them. She worries the new homes will not be environmentally sustainable. If Nu-Way homes put up “net zero tiny houses, oh my god we would celebrate him like a hero,” she said.

Although some neighbors complain the homes are large, 8 and 12 Warner St. are listed at around 1,800 square feet, and Misch pointed out that the median home size in Northampton is 1,700 square feet. New construction also needs to meet the city’s energy “stretch code,” and the neighborhood is in walking distance to the Mill River and the high school, and is less than a mile from downtown Florence, she said.

“Combined, transportation and residential buildings are the largest greenhouse gas emissions stats for Northampton,” Misch wrote in an email. “In other words, the further out we build the more we have to drive to get anywhere and the bigger our footprint. To the extent that we can bring housing closer to where people are traveling, their transportation demands go down.”

Diane Scott scowled from inside the door of her house — which is near 39 Landy Ave., which Nu-Way Homes purchased — when asked if she would talk to a reporter about development in the neighborhood. She said she’s worried multiple homes may be put on the Landy Avenue property.

“I would like there to be some respect for the character of the neighborhood,” she said.

Cate Rowen has lived in the neighborhood since 1999 and is not involved in the Save Bay State Village neighborhood group. She said she’s not a fan of the newer and more expensive homes.

“I don’t want to be a NIMBY,” she said. “I believe in infill. I want walkability.”

Rowen said there are a lot of walkers in the neighborhood, but “there are no sidewalks … What’s infill without sidewalks?”

Creating sidewalks alongside density is important in creating a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood, said Wayne Feiden, director of the city’s department of planning and sustainability, adding that the mayor recently announced funding for traffic improvements to make Northampton more walkable.

Ward 5 City Councilor Alex Jarrett said he has heard concerns from constituents in the neighborhood.

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