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Monday, November 2, 2026 Middlesex County, Massachusetts · Change town
Government · Planning Board

Board votes to keep zoning table tabled

Pepperell's Planning Board voted to keep a contested zoning table of uses tabled, pushing a Main Street tattoo parlor request toward a separate special town meeting instead of the November warrant.

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Planning Board · Meeting of October 19, 2026

Pepperell's Planning Board voted to keep a contested zoning table of uses tabled, pushing a Main Street tattoo parlor request toward a separate special town meeting instead of the November warrant. The board approved the motion 3-0, with Chair Albert Patenaude recusing himself over a financial and family history with applicant John McNabb, who wants tenant Gavin Byers to open a tattoo studio at 127 Main Street. Town Administrator Andrew McClain said reopening a public hearing now would miss the Select Board's 14-day warrant deadline, estimating a special town meeting, floated for January 2027, would cost "a few thousands of dollars." The board's prior 3-2 vote barring special-permit data centers from the industrial zone remains intact.

"It just takes me out of the position of making a vote," Patenaude said of his recusal.

In the full story:

  • Who Was There
  • Organizations And Documents Referenced
  • The complete report — 2,161 words

Source: the Planning Board meeting of October 19, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

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