Pepperell Conservation Commission continues contested Chamberlain Way driveway hearing to November 15

PEPPERELL — November 1, 2022 — Pepperell Conservation Commission continues disputed Chamberlain Way driveway case, votes to pursue Jewett Street conservation restriction. The commission continued to November 15 a public hearing on a Notice of Intent filed by Complete Home Improvements for a common driveway at 2, 3, and 4 Chamberlain Way, where a road shift of approximately 80 feet during construction and subsequent wetland migration have placed the as-built road within or near the 100-foot buffer zone, triggering an enforcement order and blocking occupancy permits. Attorney Douglas DeShane of Finneran and Nicholson told the commission the road was moved to avoid perched groundwater and said the applicant was "willing to do whatever it takes," but member Pat Rice made clear the commission would not guarantee approval and demanded alternative alignment calculations alongside the current-location design. Resident Roy Philbrick, who lives at lot 6, told the commission he had never been consulted despite infrastructure being built on his property: "I bought my house almost two years ago and we're still dealing with this problem — who's ultimately responsible?" The commission also voted unanimously to express interest in holding a conservation restriction on a 44-acre Duke family parcel on Jewett Street, where one owner is expected to receive approximately $75,000 in state conservation land tax credits, and closed with a discussion of a 40R smart-growth zoning bylaw headed to the November 14 town meeting, with members citing PFAS groundwater readings of 865 parts per trillion near the VFW development site.