Planning Board Unanimously Approves Ryan Road Duplex With Four Conditions

Planning Board · Meeting of January 8, 2026

Northampton Planning Board approves a duplex at 296 Ryan Road with conditions tied to trees, traffic, and setback plans. The board voted unanimously Thursday to greenlight a 3,600-square-foot gross floor area duplex proposed by Berkshire Design Group on behalf of Sovereign Builders, replacing a 750-square-foot single-family house on a corner lot at Ryan Road and Gilrain Terrace in Florence. The four conditions require completion of public shade tree removal procedures for one white pine, a certified arborist's tree protection plan for rear lot trees before permits are pulled, payment in lieu of traffic mitigation, and revised plans showing both front setbacks at 20 feet.

Ward 6 City Councilor Chris Stratton told the board the project's form-based code rooflines could "limit solar" potential and questioned whether single-bay garages would push residents to park on the street. Neighbor Paula Baratsky of 11 Alamo Court pressed the board on chronic drainage failures on Ryan Road, which staff directed to the Department of Public Works as outside the applicant's responsibility.

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Source: the Planning Board meeting of January 8, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.