Conservation Board Approves 55 Senior Housing Units
Bellingham's Conservation Commission approved a 55-unit affordable senior and veteran housing project on Depot Street and denied an accessory dwelling unit on Chase Street.
Conservation Commission · Meeting of October 7, 2026
Bellingham's Conservation Commission approved a 55-unit affordable senior and veteran housing project on Depot Street and denied an accessory dwelling unit on Chase Street. The Depot Street development, backed by a unanimous Select Board vote and already cleared by the Zoning Board of Appeals, includes 25 percent affordable units and reduced its wetlands buffer-zone disturbance to 10,700 square feet after revisions. One commissioner objected that "I don't think I can justify this to myself," questioning whether the unit count was driving avoidable wetlands impact, but the order of conditions passed.
The commission separately voted to close and deny the Chase Street ADU, with a member citing the town's bylaw requirement to show no practicable alternative existed, after resident Ernest Pelletier questioned whether 40 replacement shrubs could offset the water absorption of 12 removed trees. The commission also continued a Rentham Road culvert-replacement hearing to October 21, seeking more flood-passage analysis, and voted to enforce a December 7 deadline for removing unpermitted material from a Central Boulevard wetlands lot.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 4,076 words
Source: the Conservation Commission meeting of October 7, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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