Pepperell Planning Board advances adaptive reuse overlay district toward spring Town Meeting

PEPPERELL — October 4, 2021 — Pepperell Planning Board moves adaptive reuse overlay district toward spring Town Meeting vote. Town Planner Jenny presented a draft bylaw that would allow historic structures — municipal buildings, churches, and properties built before 1975 — to be converted to new uses by Planning Board special permit within an overlay district anchored to the Main Street historic corridor and the Peter Fitzpatrick school parcel. The board voted unanimously to endorse an Approval Not Required plan for 10 and 14 Cranberry Street for Hobbit Classic Homes LLC, splitting the parcel into three lots with one left undeveloped due to access constraints. Members also agreed to route all master plan reserve fund requests through the planning office before reaching the board agenda, addressing concerns that the Agricultural Commission's pending request lacked sufficient specificity and vetting. The board further discussed Pepperell's $3.6 million ARPA award as a potential source for crosswalk and survey work near Railroad Square, with eligibility for infrastructure uses still being confirmed by the Town Administrator.