Bellingham Planning Board Approves 455 Hartford Avenue Commercial Plan With Three Waivers

BELLINGHAM -- February 26, 2026, Bellingham Planning Board approves 455 Hartford Avenue commercial project and escalates Toll Brothers subdivision review. The board voted unanimously to approve a development plan and flexible parking special permit for 455 Hartford Avenue, a commercial site brought forward by Dan Marquin of Legacy Engineering, after granting three stormwater-related waivers including permission to construct detention basins in fill, reduce fence heights from 6 to 4 feet, and use 6-inch rather than 12-inch drainage pipes, the fence waiver passing 3-1 with board member Bill dissenting. In a separate action, the board unanimously classified a modification request from Toll Brothers, represented by Jeff Huddleberg and engineer Liz Clark of Tyan Bond, as a major modification to the approved Red Mill on the Charles subdivision, requiring a formal public hearing before the developer can advance proposed road realignments, a drainage system overhaul, and changes to phasing and architectural conditions. Two Hartford Avenue public hearings were continued to March 12 pending peer review responses, and a Blackstone Street road improvement hearing was also sent to March 12 pending a legal opinion from town counsel on whether subdivision control law applies to the pre-existing private roadway.