The proposed Belfort Landing development poses serious risks to neighboring properties due to increased stormwater and potential septic runoff. Several nearby homes are listed on the site plan as having a “moderate flood risk” as a direct result of this project’s scale and design. Introducing this kind of burden on existing homeowners is both unfair and unacceptable. We should not be forced to bear the consequences of poorly planned development.

The Belfort Landing site plan includes only a 20-foot-wide driveway—barely enough to allow safe access for emergency vehicles like fire trucks. This size drive requires a waiver, as 24-foot is preferred. As a potential resident, that would be deeply concerning. As neighbors, we’re also worried about the risk this poses to nearby homes, especially with fire spreading and limited access for first responders. Safety should never be compromised for the sake of squeezing in more units or the developer's bottom line.

Listed at "three stories" and 50 units (30 2-bedroom, 20 1-bedroom), the proposed development represents an instant 70% increase in the population of Belfort Street and would be significantly taller than any existing home or structure in the area. With grading, the development comes in at a whopping 61 feet above our homes (equal to a 6 story building). This scale is out of character with the neighborhood and raises serious concerns about traffic and pedestrian safety, infrastructure, and livability. 

The proposed 8-foot grade change on the easterly side of the property puts neighboring homes at serious risk of runoff, erosion, and flooding. To achieve this elevation, the project would require over 3,200 dump trucks worth of fill—raising questions about both environmental impact and neighborhood disruption. The elevated site also presents significant privacy and visual concerns, especially for nearby single-family homes and Talbot Elementary School.

A major unanswered question is the retaining wall—what exactly will hold back the massive amount of fill? So far, there’s been little to no information provided about the wall’s design or height. According to the Gorrill Palmer site plan, the wall could be as high as 14 feet, with the building rising another 47 feet above that.

That places the structure 61 feet above the neighboring properties. To put it in perspective: 1 story = approximately 10 feet, meaning this would be the equivalent of a 6-story building looming over a quiet residential area and an elementary school. It’s out of scale, out of place, and poses a serious concern for the families who already live here.

ACRE Properties and its owner, Alex Coupe, are knowingly violating the law by using city- and taxpayer-owned Conservation Easement land to access the proposed Belfort Landing development site via Talbot School road. Coupe has openly acknowledged this multiple times, yet no action has been taken. Despite repeated concerns raised by residents, the Planning Board, city planner, and permitting office have all deflected responsibility—each claiming it’s not within their purview. 

This lack of accountability is deeply troubling. When public land and legal protections are ignored, the question remains: Who is responsible for enforcing the law and protecting our community’s interests?

The proposed Belfort Landing development will significantly increase traffic congestion in the area, creating safety concerns for drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists alike. 

Belfort Street is a small residential road not designed to handle high volumes of traffic. It has no stoplight or controlled intersection to safely merge onto Forest Avenue—one of the busiest and fastest-moving streets in the city. Adding 50+ new vehicles (not accounting for visitors) would overwhelm this narrow street, increase the risk of accidents, and create daily traffic backups that impact both residents and commuters. 

A traffic study was conducted, but a closer look reveals it is both biased (performed by ACRE Property's engineering firm Gorrill Palmer) and incomplete. It fails to fully account for the real impacts this development would have on neighborhood traffic flow, safety, and congestion. 

With only 50 parking spaces for 50 units (30 2-bedroom and 20 1-bedroom), totaling an estimated 100+ cars, overflow parking is inevitable. Residents and visitors of Belfort Landing will likely park along Belfort Street, in nearby school lots, or anywhere they can find space—clogging streets not designed for this volume and putting children and families at risk. This plan ignores the real impacts on mobility, access, and neighborhood safety. 

The proposed Belfort Landing development is located in an RN5 zone, which requires at least 50 feet of street frontage to be eligible for development. The city has indicated that this frontage is on Forest Avenue. 

While ACRE Properties owns the land, the rights to that frontage—including the right to build on it—belong to Moran’s Market. This means ACRE does not have legal control or guaranteed access to the frontage needed to meet zoning requirements. This raises serious questions about whether the project complies with basic zoning rules. We are currently awaiting clarification from the city and are eager to understand how the project can proceed under these circumstances.

The Belfort Landing development site sits directly next to Talbot Elementary School. With a projected 18+ month construction timeline, the ongoing noise, traffic, and disruption will undoubtedly interfere with students’ ability to focus and learn.

Research shows that prolonged exposure to noise can slow children's memory development by up to 23%. Disrupting the learning environment for over a year and a half poses an unacceptable risk to the well-being and development of our community’s most vulnerable population—our kids.