Pepperell Planning Board Closes Hearing on Peter Fitzpatrick School Rezoning Without Vote

PEPPERELL — September 24, 2012 — Pepperell Planning Board closes public hearing on Peter Fitzpatrick school rezoning, delays recommendation. The board heard more than two hours of divided testimony Monday on a proposal to reclassify five parcels at the intersection of River Road and Main Street — including the town-owned Peter Fitzpatrick Elementary School — from residential to commercial, then closed the hearing without voting, saying members would deliberate at a subsequent meeting. Select Board Chairman Joe Sergi disclosed that grocery store chains had independently identified the site during mill redevelopment conversations, but said "there's no commitment, there's not even a handshake," and announced the Select Board had voted the same evening to add a companion article to the October 29 special town meeting warrant requiring public disclosure of any buyer or lessee before a town meeting vote. Town Moderator Scott Blackburn, drawing on prior service on the planning board, select board, and board of appeals, told the board it lacked studies on population growth, commercial vacancy rates, trip generation, and abutter property-value impacts, calling the proposal "not ready for prime time." Former Planning Board member Ron Carr warned that the town's single commercial district effectively permits all uses except single-family homes, junkyards, and fur farms on the 20-acre parcel, which he said is larger than the Groton Shaw's Plaza. The town's treasurer reported cash reserves of just over $1.5 million, down from $5.5 million five years ago, with more than $350,000 in overdue quarterly tax bills.