Pepperell Planning Board continues water treatment permit, launches goals-setting process

PEPPERELL -- March 2, 2026, Pepperell Planning Board launches 2026 goals-setting process, continues water treatment permit. The board unanimously continued the 13 Jersey Street water treatment plant application, filed under PMHA-25-1 and LVP-25-213, to its March 16 meeting while awaiting peer review completion. Town Planner Jason then walked five of six members through a 12-slide presentation of member-submitted goals spanning zoning modernization, housing strategy, downtown revitalization, and board efficiency, with the chair deferring formal prioritization until the full board is present. Jason flagged that Pepperell issued only two single-family residential building permits in all of 2025, contrasting that with more than 1,080 ADU permits since state adoption of the ADU law as evidence of unmet demand. He advocated examining the state 40Y housing program as a low-barrier funding opportunity and said roughly 95 percent of the town's zoned land is in residential districts, leaving commercial and industrial uses at approximately 5 percent. A board member reported that NMCOG has $3.7 million available for transportation design projects but noted Pepperell's rural position within the organization creates persistent challenges in regional connectivity planning.