Belchertown Conservation Commission Continues Two Contested Lake-Area Development Applications

BELCHERTOWN -- April 27, 2026, Belchertown Conservation Commission continued two contested lakefront applications and recommended against a $300,000 land purchase at its April 27 meeting. The board voted 5-0 to continue a Notice of Intent for builder Ken Kozlik's proposed accessory dwelling unit at 35 Lake Drive on Lake Metacomet to May 18, after Chair Edward Knight and Commissioner Steve Garabedian held firm that any permanent, enclosed structure must remain outside the 50-foot No-Disturbance Zone from the lake; Garabedian said he might accept a revised plan showing an elevated deck on piers but said "a four season fully enclosed structure needs to be outside the 50 foot." The commission also continued a Notice of Intent for a single-family home, pool, ADU, and garage proposed by Joseph Miller on a lot abutting Bordering Vegetated Wetland on West Street, requesting 100-year storm calculations, a wetland crossing engineering detail, and a site visit before May 18. On the Right of First Refusal for a 23-acre parcel at 221 Aldrich Street offered at $300,000, the board voted 5-0 to recommend the Select Board not exercise the purchase option, citing a lack of available funding and the parcel's distance from currently protected town land.