We are petitioning O’Connell Development Group to scale down its plans for a five-story apartment building in Ward 3 AND for our city officials to support our efforts. 

Originally proposing three-story townhouses on a lot bordered by Phillips Place and Hawley Street, O’Connell now wants to build a structure with 54 market-rate units, in a neighborhood of two-story single-family homes and apartment houses that is on the National Register of Historic Places.

 Most of the ground floor will be a parking garage, capacity 25 vehicles, with its entrance and exit on Phillips Place, a narrow side street and truck diversion route.

We are all for increasing housing stock in the city but not at the expense of livability.

In the past ten years, this neighborhood has absorbed three multi-unit developments. Five-story buildings are few in Northampton; the one O'Connell wants to erect will extend halfway up Phillips Place and to within 10 feet of the sidewalk. It will tower over its neighbors, blocking sunlight, casting a big shadow and precluding solar installation.  Its design doesn’t resemble any other buildings around it. (See photos below.) No green space or trees are included in the site plan. 

More traffic and more cars needing parking will add pollution and congestion and make it more dangerous for the many people who walk here, including children going to and from Bridge Street School. 

Northampton’s neighborhoods, with human-scale buildings, trees, green space, and walkability, are one of its most important assets.

We urge the developers to modify their high-density plan and for our city's representatives to stand up for a scaled-down project that supports community and sustainability. 

If you agree with us that this apartment building will be out of place in this neighborhood, please scroll down and sign our petition. And if you do, thank you for your support!

You can also support this campaign by contributing to our GoFundMe campaign, to help cover legal expenses: 

https://www.gofundme.com/f/save-our-historic-neighborhood

To contribute, you don’t need an account, can choose from several payment options, and can donate anonymously. Any-size donation will be greatly appreciated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hawley Street apartment house next to the building site.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Phillips Place residences directly behind building site.

 

 

 

 

 

Architect's renderings showing the side of the building facing Phillips Place (top right) and the side facing the two-story adjacent house on Hawley Street (bottom left).

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

                                    

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
­­