Pepperell Planning Board continues 50 Main Street fire-rebuild hearing to August 16

PEPPERELL — August 2, 2021 — Pepperell Planning Board continues 50 Main Street fire-rebuild review and approves Tucker Street permit extension. The board voted unanimously Monday to carry over the major site plan hearing for 50 Main Street — a proposed six-family dwelling to replace a fire-destroyed structure — to August 16, after members said they had insufficient time to review updated plans submitted days before the meeting. Board member Al raised a detailed height concern, noting that a roughly six-foot exposed rear foundation wall combined with three floors and a roofline could push the structure toward 40 feet against a 35-foot zoning limit; the board nonetheless expressed unanimous support for accommodating the differential to allow a potential future elevator, with Chair Chuck stating that "Pepperell is in need of affordable housing." Deb Fountain, chair of the town's new Invasive Plant Advisory Group, presented a native plant alternative list at the board's invitation and recommended at least 70 percent native plantings. The board also unanimously extended the special permit for 26 Tucker Street two years, conditioning the action on the applicant recording a previously unfiled 2019 extension at the Registry of Deeds.