Planning Board Approves Nine-Unit Pelham Road Rentals With Right-Turn-Only Condition

Planning Board 2026-06-09 Part 2 · Meeting of June 9, 2026

Belchertown Planning Board approves a nine-unit rental development on Pelham Road with five conditions, including a right-turn-only restriction at Federal Street. The board voted 3-0-1 Tuesday night to approve the site plan for 50 Federal Operating Company, LLC, after a third public hearing that included a detailed debate over whether the project's projected 140 average daily vehicle trips represented a 25 percent or 70 percent increase on the existing road — a distinction that turned on peak-hour versus daily counting methods. Member Bjorn Markeson led the board to condition approval on the developer working with the town's Department of Public Works to install a right-turn-only sign and pavement markings at the Pelham Road and Federal Street intersection, where a traffic study found the existing left-turn movement already operates at level-of-service C and is projected to fall to D by 2033 with or without the project.

Four other conditions address pedestrian path access for the first two units, dumpster access across the property, and a year-round maintenance plan covering snow removal. The project was also reduced from ten to nine units after peer-review engineer Tighe and Bond flagged that the original design exceeded the 15 percent impervious-surface limit within the town's Aquifer Protection District overlay. A Pelham Road resident who identified herself as a math teacher told the board the traffic count — conducted May 20 when area colleges were out of session — likely understated typical volumes.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 3,376 words

Source: the Planning Board 2026-06-09 Part 2 meeting of June 9, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.