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1. How do I get a permit for new construction on my property?

File a zoning permit with the Building department describing your project to determine if you just need a building permit or if you need a public review/public hearing for wetlands, zoning relief, architectural review etc.  NOTE: Not all projects require a public hearing.

The permit path to project completion varies depending on the zoning district where your property is located, whether or not there are wetlands and how big your project is.

Other permits may be required from the Department of Public Works. Please visit their page.

2. What if my project requires a public hearing?

You must apply for the appropriate permit in the Office of Planning & Sustainability by following these instructions.

Application deadline is generally 30 days prior to the public hearing. Staff will not schedule a public hearing, however, until an application is complete with all the needed information so the application can potentially be acted on the same night. (Planning Board, Zoning Board, and the Conservation Commission generally meet second and fourth Thursdays, Central Business Architecture first Tuesdays, and other boards as needed.)

It is strongly urged that all applicants check with appropriate city staff before filing an application to ensure that all information and materials required to address the project are submitted with the application.

3. What type of permits are reviewed at public hearings?

Permit Type and standards

Site Plan Approval (Planning Board) review looks at the details of a project (e.g., traffic mitigation, stormwater, pedestrian access), not the use. The board can only deny a site plan if the project cannot meet the technical criteria-- usually only if an applicant refuses to provide necessary information. Some projects require special permits and site plan approval simultaneously. Other agencies and representatives can help review major and complex projects to provide feedback to applicants and boards. Required Vote:  Majority of members present.

Special Permit (Planning Board and Zoning Board) review determines whether or not the proposed use is appropriate based on the permit criteria. The board may deny a project IF it finds that the criteria are not met, or cannot be met even with conditions. Required Vote: Board super-majority (5 planning board or 3 zoning board)

Special Permit (Planning Board) for multifamily or mixed commercial/residential within 1/2 mile of train or bus pulse point if 10% are affordable units, and reduction of parking to encourage density. Required Vote: Majority of the Board

Subdivision approval of projects which require new roads (Planning Board), based on infrastructure standards, and approval not required of survey plans, based on sufficiency of the frontage. Required Vote:  Majority of members present

Central Business Architecture (Central Business Architecture Committee) review of  the design of buildings, not the uses, in accordance with existing standards. Required Vote:  Majority of members present

Wetlands permits (Order of Conditions and Determination of Applicability) (Conservation Commission) review is of the wetlands impacts based on specific criteria, not the desirability of a project. Required Vote: Majority of members present

Historical Commission (demolition delay and historic district) review is based on the specific historic preservation or compatibility standards in the regulations, not on the desirability of a project. Required Vote: Majority of members present

4. How do I find out about projects in my neighborhood?

Applications and supporting materials for pending projects that require a public hearing are available at www.NorthamptonMA.gov/Pending or Planning & Sustainability, City Hall,210 Main St., Northampton (8:45 AM to 4:30 PM). Planning staff is available to answer questions: www.northamptonma.gov/Directory.aspx?did=22.

Public Hearing notices are available at www.gazettenet.com/Public-Notices (search for Northampton) and public agendas are posted http://northamptonma.gov/agendacenter. For some projects abutters will get mailed a notice about two weeks prior to the hearing, and a notice will be posted on the property. (Notice is not mailed for continued public hearings, but they are posted at the agenda center.)

Not all projects require a public hearing. Those projects may be reviewed at the Building Department website.

5. Where do I comment or ask questions about a project?

Comments/questions may be made to city staff via voice or via email ahead of the public hearing.  Comments may also be made during the public hearing for that item.

Public hearings open at or after the time advertised, never early. The chair will open the hearing and the applicant will present their plans and the board will then ask its questions. After that, members of the public are invited to ask questions and offer any comments. Written comments, including the name and address of the person making the comment, may be submitted to the board up until the time the public hearing is closed. Most public hearings are closed and decisions are issued on the same night, although some complicated projects or incomplete filings may be continued to a specified date and time.

6. Who approves projects that require a public hearing?

The Planning Board, Zoning Board, Historical Commission, Conservation Commission, and Central Business Architecture hear permit applications at advertised public hearings. Depending on the relevant statute, the city or the applicant may publish legal notices and notify abutters. Anyone is welcome at hearings and invited to participate.

Boards are made up of unpaid community volunteers--dedicating their time to serve our community. Planning & Sustainability staff assists applicants, community members, and boards to ensure a legal, fair, and transparent process following regulations and broader Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive Plan goals and objectives.

Neither the Mayor nor City Councilors review or approve permits.

7. How are decisions made and what happens after a public hearing?

The Board determines when there is enough information to close the public hearing. The Board must make a decision based upon regulations and adopted plans and consideration of public comments. There are often many ways to address the standards. The Board must evaluate what the applicant has presented and whether that application meets the standards as presented or with conditions.  The Board cannot redesign a project based on ideas generated during public hearings.

Approval standards are at www.northamptonma.gov/938/Permits-Codes. Public comments are very important and often persuasive, especially when they align with the regulatory standards. Testimony does not replace, however, the board's reliance on other information, statutes, city plans and regulations, and case law. (See Unrepresented Democracy in Local Zoning and Planning Boards). The City writes its own zoning and other ordinances, typically based on the City’s Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive Plan (updated 2021), which includes climate resilience and regeneration, bike/ped, and open space elements. Projects such as affordable and attainable housing and encouraging land use patterns that support commercial centers and reduce greenhouse gas emissions often come from community-wide goals even when immediate abutters might have a different vision. 

After the public hearing is closed, no new testimony or information can be accepted. The permit granting board deliberates and makes their decision. Planning & Sustainability staff then issues the necessary decision. Notice of the decisions varies based on statutory requirements, with notice of Zoning Board and Planning Board decisions mailed to abutters. Abutters have the right to appeal, within strict appeal periods and procedures established by law for each permit process.  Appeal periods are noted on decisions.

Applicants must pick up certified copies of the decision from the City Clerk at the end of the appeal period and record the decision at the Register of Deeds before seeking a building permit.