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As part of the Master Plan 2008 update, a survey was created to poll residents about various issues in Bellingham. ~Many surveys were returned with comments. ~Every so often we will try to answer some of those questions and comments.
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Q: “Let’s face it—this is an unattractive town…I think the Planning Board needs to be more forceful in making businesses adopt more aesthetic facades to the exteriors of their buildings; other towns seem to have taken this approach and been successful.”
Q: “[The] strip mall behind the Dairy Queen is an eyesore. Dominos Pizza should be torn down.”
A: There were quite a few comments in the survey on the “curb appeal” of Bellingham, especially regarding commercial properties. Just as the Town cannot force a private homeowner to paint his or her house a certain color, the Town cannot force a private business to maintain a privately owned building or property. However, we hope that a commercial property will be maintained in order to attract and keep businesses. For instance, the plaza behind Dairy Queen has recently been acquired by a new owner who is working on improving the exterior appearance of the building and landscaping.
The Planning Board has very limited powers of design review. The Planning Board responsibilities are spelled out in the Zoning Bylaw, which is established through Town Meeting. The Planning Board has never been given the legal jurisdiction to rule over the physical appearance of a building, although in recent years they have made a strong effort to work with developers to review and improve the aesthetics of a building. The Walgreens in the Town Center is a good example of a building that was changed in appearance at the request of the Planning Board.
Towns that have more impact on the appearance of buildings, sites and even signs have several regulatory options in place that Bellingham does not. One of the more common options is a “Design Review Board” whose sole purpose is to review and comment on the look of a project. A Design Review Board generally consists of townspeople who have expertise in architecture, landscape architecture, historic preservation, art or design experience. A Design Review Board considers the building exteriors, landscape, building placement on a site, and sign design. The creation of a Design Review Board is being considered as part of the Master Plan update. If you are interested in participating in a Design Review Board or would like more information, please contact the Planning Board at 508-657-2892 or email PlanningBoard@bellinghamma.org.
Q: “Residential areas are being overrun with commercial business all over [the] north end of town. Poor planning of our Planning Board.”
A: The way a town develops is, first and foremost, dictated by the Zoning Map and the Zoning Bylaw, both of which are established through Town Meeting votes. Town Meetings are the 4th Wednesday in May and the 2nd Wednesday in October, although not every meeting involves a Zoning Map or Bylaw change. The Zoning Map shows allowed uses for every part of the Town. Bellingham’s Zoning Map was adopted in 1977 with several major zones: Agricultural, Suburban, Residential, Business, and Industrial. Over time the map has changed with two additional zones (Multi-family and Business 2) and four overlay districts (Flood Plain, Water Resource, Adult Use and Mill Reuse). The last major change to the Zoning Map, besides the overlay districts which do not impact the underlying
zoning, was in 1997. While the Zoning Map shows a visual representation the zones, the Zoning Bylaw specifies the actual uses allowed in each zone and dictates the physical requirements for each zone, such as minimum lot area, lot frontage, setbacks, etc.
The Planning Board does not create the zones, their locations or allowed uses—this is all accomplished through Town Meeting. In the northern part of the town, specifically along Hartford Avenue, there are several Business 1 and Business 2 zones, as well as Industrially zoned land. Residential, Suburban and Agricultural zones surround these commercial and industrial zones. The Zoning Bylaw allows for commercial uses in Industrial zones. Therefore, it may seem that the Planning Board has let commercial uses overrun the northern part of Bellingham, when in fact these uses are allowed by-right as dictated by the Zoning Map and Zoning Bylaw.
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