Bellingham Planning Board Backs Community Preservation Act Pitch Unanimously

BELLINGHAM -- January 22, 2026, Bellingham Planning Board members expressed unanimous support for adopting the Community Preservation Act, a state program that would add a $68 annual surcharge to the average homeowner's tax bill in exchange for a dedicated fund and state matching revenue. Open Space Committee members Chad Kelly, of Saddleback Hill Road, and Doug Martin, of Tend Dupree Road, presented the proposal to the board Thursday, projecting $647,000 in annual local collections at a 1.5 percent surcharge rate, plus an estimated 25 percent state match drawn from a statewide real estate transaction trust that collects roughly $60 million per year. The first $100,000 of assessed value would be exempt for all properties, with additional exemptions for low- and moderate-income and senior housing. If a warrant article passes at the May 27 town meeting and a November 3 ballot referendum, collections would begin July 2027 with first state distributions arriving in November 2028. The board also unanimously endorsed an ANR subdivision at 5 Scott Street, splitting the parcel into two lots of approximately six to seven acres each, and continued the Blackstone Street public hearing to February 12.