A rendering of a new commercial building and EV spaces at 5 Fulton Ave.
Photo credit: Northampton Open Media
NORTHAMPTON — The Northampton Planning Board unanimously granted a site plan review approval for a one-floor, 4,744-plus-square-foot commercial building and up to 10 Level 3 electric vehicle charging stations at 5 Fulton Ave.
According to the project plan, applicant DC Coffee is proposing that the new building have three commercial spaces; two of which will most likely be used for some type of food service with a commercial kitchen in each location, and then the middle one will be a retail space likely for “grab-and-go prepackaged” food.
The project will allow for around 35 seats in each restaurant-oriented space in the building and then around 10 seats in the center convenience space of the commercial building.
The building will replace the former Pleasant Journey Car Lot, which closed in early 2023 after 43 years in business. The property, which currently sits in the Northampton-Central Business-Gateway District, has frontage on three streets: Conz Street, Pleasant Street and Fulton Avenue.
Aelan Tierney, the president of Kuhn Riddle Architects, explained to the board during its June 27 meeting the ways in which this project brings a strong commitment to sustainability in Northampton. She commended Bruce Volz, the applicant of the project from DC Coffee, for creating a project dedicated to mitigating global warming impacts.
“This project is Bruce’s effort at trying to do his part; to leave the planet a better place by helping to make electric vehicle ownership a more viable option,” Tierney said. “Not only for residents of Northampton, but also for the many visitors to Northampton or those who may be just making a trip from New York to Vermont and will just need to get charged up.”
Tierney said that the commercial building’s placement away from the property line will also allow for “high quality” semipublic spaces with café seating, seat walls and bike parking at both Conz and Pleasant streets.
The building itself, according to Tierney, will have a modern “Scandinavian look” with a white stucco façade, black fiberglass windows and horizontal black steel canopies over the doorways on Conz and Fulton streets.
Rachel Loeffler, a principal landscape architect from Berkshire Design Group, told the Planning Board that all entrances to the building will be universally accessible with no ramps or rails needed.
She also said that there is a plan to modify the edge of the curb on the property for the implementation of a tree belt and a 6-foot-wide pedestrian walkway along Fulton Avenue with the goal of increasing pedestrian connectivity from Pleasant to Conz streets.
The 10 EV charging stations will be part of a 19-space parking lot located behind the Fulton Street frontage, according to Loeffler. The other nine spaces will be non-EV spaces, but those spaces can still be used by EV cars.
Planning Board member David Whitehill commended the applicant for creating a project that aims to bring a “nice experience” to its patrons while simultaneously providing a pleasant location to charge vehicles.
“I think it’s kind of a visionary project,” said Whitehill. “It’s going to be very attractive to people driving up [Interstate] 91 to get off really quick, have an 18-minute coffee and then go leave.”
Despite expressing appreciation for the project, Whitehill did wonder how the demand for EV chargers will align with whatever coffee shop or restaurant opens in the commercial building.
“If you’re going to want people to sit down for an hour, but the cars on Level 3 charge for 15 minutes, then you’re going to make them move across,” Whitehill said. “I think the issue is, ‘what if it’s a high demand thing?’”
Volz responded by saying he has worked closely with the company providing the chargers and setup, and they told him that the usage for the EV spaces will be about 4-6% in the first year and then increase as more EVs hit the streets.
He said that he hopes there is a big demand for the chargers, but he cannot predict what the parking situation will be.
Planning Board Chair George Kohout said part of the challenge with this project is the developer will have to entice people to rent at the location and find ways to draw customers in.
“We’re going to have to believe that a lot of people will come from the hotels or from NETA or across the street when their car is being worked on,” Kohout said. “And I think there is enough people there, capacity for pedestrians and bikes to come there…not just cars.”
The one person who spoke during the public comment portion of the hearing, Northampton resident Benjamin Spencer, was a huge fan of the project.
“I think it’s really exciting, and I think it’s a great example of the Gateway District form-based zoning sort of living up to the goals,” Spencer said. “This is less impervious surfaces. This is multiple uses. This is a streetscape that is pedestrian friendly.”
Spencer also praised the project for the EV parking spaces and for opening up possibilities for intriguing food options inside the commercial building.
“I think it’s exciting to have this prospect of a couple of small retail or possible restaurant…kind of incubator spaces, which might bring some interesting food options into town,” Spencer shared.
The board, which ultimately approved the project with accompanying conditions, felt that encouraging this new type of development is important for the city.
“Hopefully it becomes more commonplace,” Whitehill said.
