Planning Board Orders Traffic and Sewer Reviews for 156-Unit Prospect Hill Project

BELLINGHAM -- October 10, 2024, Bellingham planners extend Prospect Hill hearing and order dual peer reviews on traffic and sewer capacity. The Planning Board voted unanimously October 10 to continue the special permit hearing for Wall Street Development Corp.'s proposed 156-unit townhouse project, roughly 72 acres off Prospect Street, to November 14, with the decision deadline pushed to March 31, 2025. Town Planner Rob Salsbury confirmed that wastewater engineering firm Kleinfelder will assess the capacity and lifecycle of the troubled DPW Road sewer pump station, while traffic firm MDM has been contacted to scope a peer review covering three intersections: Cross Street and Lake Street, Prospect Street and Lake Street, and South Maple at Route 126. Applicant's engineer Lou Petty presented a revised plan routing secondary access to Lake Street but offered no reduction from the original 156-unit density despite nearly a year of board and public pressure. Resident Bonnie Wheeler, of 289 Lake Street, presented Franklin planning letters from early 2024 that she characterized as a denial of cross-border roadway access; Petty disputed the characterization and suggested the matter could ultimately be resolved in court.