PETITION

Whereas  more than two years have passed since the Pioneer Valley Hotel Group signed a Purchase and Sale Agreement with the City and received approvals to build a Hilton Garden Inn hotel and parking garage behind Pulaski Park in the city’s Round House parking lot; and

Whereas construction has not yet begun and the agreement has expired on several previous occasions; and

Whereas  each time the agreement has expired, the Mayor has extended the deadline, the most recent extension granted in December, 2009, giving the developer until February 15, 2010 to obtain a performance guarantee; and

Whereas the Mayor could make a new beginning by returning to the initial stages of consideration for the use and design of this property and fully engaging the public using best practices, and thereby recapture this critically important land in the center of our downtown and create a truly useful and beautiful center for our city; and In this way, the; and

Whereas the Mayor has stated her desire that the new City Council be involved in decision-making on the project; and

Whereas this petition is a vehicle for residents of Northampton to communicate through our City Council representatives our collective desire to re-examine the use and design of this parcel;

THEREFORE,

We, the undersigned hereby petition our Councilors at Large and Ward Councilors to: 

1. Urge the Mayor to grant no further extensions of the purchase and sale agreement to the Pioneer Valley Hotel Group when the 45-day extension granted in December 2009 expires; and

2. Work with the Mayor and the community at large to create an inclusive and unbiased process for determining the best future use and design of this critically important parcel; and

3. Work with the Mayor to ensure that the City solicits and evaluates a range of ideas that would lead to a better plan, one that represents our collective vision, is financially feasible, and enjoys broad community support as the best use of the property.