Bellingham Conservation Commission Issues Orders for Hartford Avenue, Lake Street Sites

BELLINGHAM -- May 14, 2026, Bellingham Conservation Commission bans de-icing chemicals and issues order for Hartford Avenue commercial site. The commission voted 4-2 to prohibit all de-icing agents, restricting treatment to sand only, as a condition of the order of conditions for a commercial building proposed at 455 Hartford Avenue, Lot 72, by applicant Moshe Atayas of Darm Properties LLC. The restriction covers the entire site including sidewalks, a decision driven in part by the Charles River's existing total maximum daily load exceedance for phosphorus. Wetland scientist Mitch Maslanka of Goddard Consultants had argued that "for a pedestrian safety standpoint you need to use some amount of de-icing" near building entrances, but a majority of commissioners disagreed. The commission also issued three enforcement orders for tree-cutting violations on Lake Street, requiring 75 percent survivability of replanted trees over three years, and voted to issue an enforcement order against a restaurant owner for an oil discharge into a wetland behind 455 Hartford Avenue, requiring a licensed site professional to submit a remediation plan by May 27. More than 50 Red Mill on the Charles subdivision lots and the Blackstone Street road improvement project were continued to June 10.