Pepperell Planning Board Approves Maker Farm Riding Academy and Camp Permit Unanimously

PEPPERELL — April 21, 2020 — Pepperell Planning Board votes 5-0 to approve Maker Farm riding academy and day camp special permit. The board, chaired by Rick McHugh, approved the permit for Eric and Emily Piper's operation at 12 Bancroft Street after months of public hearings, capping the summer day camp at 70 children per day over 10 weeks and the vacation day camp at 30 children per day over 20 days per year. Vehicle trips during the 8-to-9 a.m. peak hour are limited to 50 "on a consistent basis," with a 30-trip cap in the afternoon pickup window, based on the applicants' own traffic study. The board stripped a proposed finding that the project would not affect property values, with members agreeing "we haven't had any professional appraisers provide any information on that." A formal compliance review is set for October 2021, at which point the board may revoke the permit for violations. The board also received a debut presentation from Pepper Roots LLC, a majority woman-owned cannabis cultivation company proposing a 55,000-square-foot Tier 6 facility at 12 Lomar Park and a 7,000-square-foot Tier 2 facility at 35 Lomar Park, projecting host community agreement payments to Pepperell of approximately $3.4 million annually by 2024 at full capacity.