Belchertown Conservation Commission approves Pelham Road nine-unit duplex, defers lake treatment decision

BELCHERTOWN -- June 8, 2026, Belchertown Conservation Commission approves Pelham Road duplex and defers Lake Holland cyanobacteria treatment ruling. The commission voted unanimously Monday to issue an Order of Conditions for 50 Federal Operating Company's nine-unit rental duplex project on Pelham Road (BCC#26-10, DEP#104-1133), after the applicant confirmed a redesign reduced impervious surface in the primary aquifer protection zone below the required 15 percent threshold by scaling the project back from 10 units. In the meeting's longest discussion, science teacher Daniel Baecher and a research librarian neighbor presented a Request for Determination of Applicability, BCC#26-14, seeking to place barley straw bales in Lake Holland to combat a 2025 toxic cyanobacteria bloom that kept residents off the water for roughly six months; phosphorus levels at depth were documented as high as 500 micrograms per liter in lake studies. A commission member who identified himself as a trained hydrologist told the group, "You have too much phosphorus in that lake, end of discussion," and expressed skepticism that the barley straw treatment would address the root cause. The commission took no vote on the lake treatment, directing residents to consult the DEP western region circuit rider for precedent and to obtain written endorsements from the Tri-Lakes Association and town Lakes Committee before returning. The commission also unanimously endorsed a LAND grant application for conservation acquisition of the approximately 51.6-acre Boyce Property off Old Farm Road, with a maximum state award of $425,000 and a July 9 application deadline.