Pepperell Ag Commission wins riding academy rule change
Pepperell Agricultural Commission gets riding academies exempted from zoning permit rule.
Agricultural Commission · Meeting of August 11, 2026
Pepperell Agricultural Commission gets riding academies exempted from zoning permit rule. Co-Chair Lucille McKain persuaded Town Planner Jason Cleghorn to drop a special-permit requirement for riding academies from a draft zoning bylaw rewrite headed to a September 8 Planning Board hearing, citing state case law protecting horse farms as agricultural use. The commission also pushed back on the bylaw's proposed "non-exempt agricultural use" definition and agreed to draft its own language for Cleghorn's review.
"All of the case law in our state emphasizes that that's a protected agricultural use," McKain said. Separately, Co-Chair Sherrill Rosoff reported a September 10 ribbon-cutting for a new cold storage facility at Pepperell Place, and the commission set an October 4 date for its annual Open Farm Day, with seven farms confirmed and roughly $1,500 in its town account, including $500 set aside for a Duke Woodland Reserve trail sign.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 2,410 words
Source: the Agricultural Commission meeting of August 11, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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