Pepperell Planning Board debates zoning rewrite for November warrant

Planning Board · Meeting of August 3, 2026

Pepperell Planning Board works through four zoning rewrite articles ahead of November's warrant. Members Sandra Hartnett, Ron Dorey and David Ganong reviewed roughly three dozen bylaw definition changes and a proposal to cut the Urban Residential district's minimum lot area from 40,000 to 10,000 square feet, with frontage dropping from 150 to 50 feet. Town Planner Jason said an assessing department review found the district's median lot size is already 9,944 square feet.

Members pushed back on a proposed five-foot side setback over parking and emergency-access concerns, settling instead on a 15-foot front, 18-foot combined side, and 20-foot rear setback for a second draft option. "I am more interested in the redevelopment as much as I am the development," one member said. No votes were taken; the board's next session, August 17, will focus on the table of uses ahead of a public hearing later this year.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 3,749 words

Source: the Planning Board meeting of August 3, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.