Process:
We believe that land use planning at this scale, with this degree of impact upon our region, should be democratic and inclusive. Committees such as the SAG should be chosen in an open, well-publicized way, and should ideally be representative of our greater community.
The EIR waiver cuts out the possibility of comprehensive citizen review through the MEPA process. At the state level, we are left with the MassHighway "25% Design Hearing," which provides much weaker citizen participation opportunities.
Several questions have been raised on various Northampton listservs and forums: What happened to the missing options recommended by the SAG? What happened between 2004 and 2007? Did Clare Higgins truly "not know" that the project was moving forward, considering her membership on both the SAG and the MPO? Who prompted John Olver, Richie Neal, and the PVPC to work together to appropriate funding specifically for concept 15, when in fact this concept was rejected by VHB in its "screening memo" to the SAG? Why weren't the SAG proceedings better publicized?
What happened to the "missing options?" The SAG recommended four "concepts" for further study. Now the only one moving into the design and engineering phase is Concept 15. It was disturbing to hear the economic development director for the City of Northampton twice assert (even after being questioned by audience members and another panelist) at the Paradise City Forum of 05/16/07, that Concept 15 was the only "preferred concept" advanced by the SAG. This simply is not true.
The apparent fast-tracking of Concept 15 has contributed to a growing sense of frustration within the local citizenry. Why develop a Meadows Plan, a
Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan; why develop comprehensive plans which
envision a balanced and sustainable future, if those plans can be so
easily ignored and violated?
Environmental and Economic:
The twin threats of global warming and peak oil have become more apparent in the past 3 or 4 years. Not planning for peak oil will a have direct economic impact upon Northampton and the Pioneer Valley over the next 20-30 years. Not planning for global warming on the local level undermines efforts being taken all over the world to address this crisis.
Concept 15 is a high-carbon-footprint solution; a 20th-century construct that is not realistic or sustainable. PVPC's projected traffic increases through 2025 are likely to prove false, considering recent reports from credible sources, including the GAO, that petroleum shortages are imminent, which can result in vast economic changes. The IPCC report on climate change recommends that citizens of developed countries start changing their ways immediately if disaster is to be forestalled.
On the local scale, MassHighway, VHB, and influential project supporters have yet to demonstrate that concept 15 will not
1) Drain traffic from King St,
2) Turn Bridge Street into a high-speed corridor into town,
3) Violate our existing land use plans, which emphasize sustainability, human scale, and environmental protection
4) Permanently destroy the bicycle connection between the east and west sides of the river (the Norwottuck Rail Trail is not plowed in the winter, and is too congested with small children, strollers, roller bladers and walkers to serve as a cycling commuting route), and make cycling from points west to the bridge (along Damon Road) extremely dangerous.
5.)Preclude environmentally healthy transportation infrastructure improvements in the future
VHB displayed a lack of knowledge of local driving practices at its 05/07 meeting at the Bridge Street School, in their claim that much of the Damon Road traffic is from people exiting i91 at exit 20 southbound, headed for the bridge. The fact is, Damon Road traffic is hilltown-oriented, with commuters from Florence, Leeds, Haydenville, Williamsburg, and beyond. Building a new southbound off-ramp on Damon Road will have negligible effect upon congestion in the exit 20 area, and may actually increase trip volume because of the perception of convenience.
Public Subsidies for Private Development:
The proposed Loewes, Home Depot, and Super Walmart in Hadley would increase traffic considerably. Why must the accomodation be paid for by the taxpayer? Also, why must Northampton take such a severe environmental hit as a result of Hadley's decision to open the entire Rt. 9 corridor to large-scale, sprawling commercial development?
MassHighway's History of Mismanagement:
As noted in a recent Gazette editorial, MassHighway has dropped the ball in recent years when it comes to managing transportation improvements. The Rt 9 widening has been met with delays and inefficiencies, as was the the work done on i91 in the Greenfield area over the past several years. In addition to cost overruns and scheduling snafus, MassHighway seems to be ignoring its own guidelines in the design of Concept 15.
Lack of Vision and Imagination
Now, more than ever, we need leaders and representatives who can imagine and implement a future that is sane, civilized, esthetically pleasing, environmentally sound, truly rural, truly urbane, and globally responsible. We ask our officials to step outside of narrow, traditional models of thinking about economic development, take a day off, and imagine...