Pepperell Planning Board Caps Marijuana Cultivators at Two, Bars Residential Growing

PEPPERELL — April 1, 2019 — Pepperell Planning Board advances two-cultivator marijuana bylaw to Town Meeting, keeping growing out of residential zones. The board voted unanimously April 1 to forward a draft non-retail marijuana establishment bylaw as amended, settling on a two-permit framework after extended debate: one license for a tier one or tier two operation with a canopy of up to 10,000 square feet, and one for a larger operation up to tier six, or 50,000 square feet. The board rejected an alternative draft that would have permitted tier-one cultivation on residential lots of five acres or more with 250-foot setbacks, with members citing operational intensity, neighbor-complaint history, and the precedent of placing what they characterized as an industrial use in residential neighborhoods. Resident Jeff Rodd of 96 Mount Lebanon Street urged the board to allow at least two or three establishments, warning that a single permit "allows giving an assignment to an individual person — makes it exclusive" and invites manipulation. A separate citizens' petition on marijuana zoning remains on the Town Meeting warrant. A public hearing on the planning board's draft is scheduled for April 16.