Bellingham Planning Board Dedicates Next Session to Traffic for 129-Unit Development

BELLINGHAM -- February 13, 2025, Bellingham Planning Board continued a 129-unit condominium development hearing and approved three permits for a Maple Street industrial site at its February 13 meeting. The board voted unanimously to push the Prospect Street condominium project, revised downward from 156 units after wetlands were excluded from the density count, to a February 27 traffic-focused session, with plans to have traffic consultant Bill Scully and the town's peer reviewer discuss intersection concerns point by point. The access road has been moved from Prospect Street to Lake Street, a shift the project consultant attributed to a police firing range, a recycling center encroaching on the applicant's land, and marketability concerns; residents near the proposed Lake Street entry described recurring flooding and raised questions about a 1935 paper street at the Lake-Prospect intersection. On Maple Street, the board unanimously approved a development plan approval and stormwater permit, a flexible parking special permit, and a Scenic Road permit for Map 37, Parcels 3 and 3A, with amendments prohibiting outdoor work, retail sales, and signage visible above the treeline along Interstate 495.