Board denies Chapter 61B application for Sabin Street property
Belchertown Board of Assessors denies Chapter 61B application for Sabin Street property. The Board voted unanimously to reject the forestry-land application for 401 Sabin Street, finding the application incomplete and citing ongoing construction disturbance. Director of Assessments John Whelihan
Board of Assessors · Meeting of February 24, 2026
Belchertown Board of Assessors denies Chapter 61B application for Sabin Street property. The Board voted unanimously to reject the forestry-land application for 401 Sabin Street, finding the application incomplete and citing ongoing construction disturbance. Director of Assessments John Whelihan recommended denial after the Department of Conservation and Recreation stripped the property of its Chapter 61 classification due to the owner's violation of the Forest Management Plan.
The property will lose its forest-land exemption for fiscal 2027. Whelihan criticized the six-month timeline for the DCR decision and the town's lack of online permitting, which allowed construction without prompt notification.
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Source: the Board of Assessors meeting of February 24, 2026, compiled from the official minutes.
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