Pepperell Commission Continues Machado Restaurant Hearing Amid Wetland, Stormwater Concerns

PEPPERELL — July 5, 2022 — Pepperell Conservation Commission continues downtown restaurant hearing over stormwater and wetland questions. The commission voted to continue a public hearing on a Notice of Intent filed by Macchio and Molly Machado for a proposed restaurant at 81 Main Street to August 2, after consultant Kyle Burchard of GPR acknowledged that the StormTech underground infiltration chamber system needs to be raised to achieve the required two-foot separation from estimated groundwater, and after commission member Emily raised questions about whether the system's isolation chamber achieves the required 44 percent total suspended solids pre-treatment. Commission Chair Paula also flagged that wetland delineation flags placed in September 2019 are missing or deteriorated and must be rehung before any field work. The lot measures 31,308 square feet, of which 28,419 square feet — roughly 91 percent — falls within the 200-foot riverfront area of Varnum Brook, leaving the applicants seeking a 5,000-square-foot riverfront alteration allowance under the Wetlands Protection Act. Commission member Pat Rice identified two misspelled native plant species on the planting plan and one non-native shrub — Fallopia cuspidatum — that Burchard agreed to remove from the proposal.