Northampton Planning Board Eyes Higher Site Plan Threshold, Two-Family Exemption

NORTHAMPTON -- April 9, 2026, Northampton Planning Board advances draft zoning amendment raising site plan review threshold to 2,500 square feet. At an April 9 working session, board members reached informal consensus to increase the minor site plan review trigger from 2,000 to 2,500 square feet of gross floor area and to exempt two-family dwellings from site plan requirements at both minor and major thresholds, regardless of size. No formal vote was taken on the substance; the board will return the item to a future agenda before referring it to the City Council for public hearing. Staff noted the current 2,000-square-foot threshold prompts some applicants to deliberately size projects at 1,999 square feet to avoid the Planning Board process, a dynamic the proposed increase is intended to address. The board voted unanimously to adjourn.