via @MaineMonitor
A shady land deal in #BelfastME as a #ConservationEasement goes missing
A wetland in Belfast was supposed to be conserved “in perpetuity.” Instead it’s being sold as commercial property. DEP is investigating.
By Murray Carpenter
July 13, 2025
Excerpt: "#BankOfAmerica became the owner of the lot in 2006, when it bought #MBNA for $34 billion. In January 2025, Bank of America sold the lot at auction to #WeBuyAndResellHomesLLC, a Georgia company. According to Belfast Assessor’s Office, the lot sold for $15,750, and is assessed at $404,800.
"The new owner promptly listed the property for sale for $295,000, with no mention that it is a #wetlands #mitigation site. The ad, at CORE real estate, reads, 'Zoned commercially, the land is positioned for a variety of business ventures. Belfast is expanding, making this an ideal location for retail, office, or mixed-use development.'
"It’s hard to know how the wetland conservation project seeped through the cracks. Among the banker’s boxes of documents related to MBNA permitting in the #DEP archives, is an unsigned draft of the deed restriction, from 1997. The draft would not be enforceable, however, until it was signed and filed with the deed.
"#MaineDEP spokesman David Madore said the agency is investigating the matter.
" 'The Department’s approval of the 1997 development was contingent on the restoration and preservation of wetland functions and values on the compensation parcel,' Madore said in an email. 'The parcel was intended to be permanently preserved.'
"A Bank of America spokesperson declined to comment on the story, as did the Army Corps.
"These days, it’s an overlooked and forgotten lot adjacent to a bustling area. Someone is using an area near the road as a toilet.
"But back in the wetland, the #alders and #cattails have grown in as intended. On a warm July day, red-winged #blackbirds, common yellowthroats, and #RedEyedVireos sing. And, from deep in the wetland, comes the croaking of a #GreenFrog."
https://themainemonitor.org/belfast-conservation-easement-missing/?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub
Greg Cocks 
