Pepperell boards review first subdivision regulation update since 2005

PEPPERELL -- February 7, 2023, Pepperell's Conservation Commission and Climate Change Committee got their first look at proposed revisions to the town's subdivision regulations, last updated in 2005. Jeff Owen, a regional planner with the Northern Middlesex Council of Governments, presented the draft at a joint session on February 7, outlining a schedule that calls for a final document to reach the Planning Board by May 2023. Planning Board Chair Al Patnode urged both committees to flag conflicts between current standards and climate and conservation goals, pointing specifically to sidewalk width requirements, stormwater swales, heat island effects, and street tree ownership as areas where existing rules work against each other. Conservation Commission member Paula flagged language in section 8.7.12 that exempts wetlands from a lot-grading requirement without specifying "existing" wetlands or requiring Conservation Commission identification, "I think that it needs to have existing wetlands and water bodies, or something that needs to be emphasized," she said. Both committees agreed to submit consolidated written comments referencing the October 21, 2022 draft by March 21.