Pepperell Planning Board orders peer review of 23 Mill Street stormwater plan

PEPPERELL — August 7, 2023 — Pepperell Planning Board votes unanimously to require a peer review of the stormwater management submission for a proposed research and development facility at 23 Mill Street. The board acted Monday on a recommendation embedded in a July 17 memorandum from town engineering consultant Ken Kalinowski, who identified 18 concerns including drainage structures inaccessible to maintenance vehicles, outdoor vehicle storage within sewer easements, and the potential for hazardous materials given the site's mill history — specifically recommending peer review under Massachusetts General Law Chapter 44, Section 53G. Chair Al Patna said he wanted independent analysis because "I've heard two different stories within our own offices." The board also extended Special Permit 2016-02 for 26 Tucker Street by one year, allowing applicant Lisa Small to file a revised, simplified single-structure plan before the permit's September 8 expiration. Separately, the board received troubling site condition reports for both the Scotch Pine Farmway and Chamberlain Way subdivisions, including non-functional rain gardens, a fully submerged propane tank access lid, road pavement separation, and a hillside washout estimated to have encroached five to six feet into wetland areas; Conservation Agent Paula Taurasi placed detention basin construction at Chamberlain Way on hold pending on-site Conservation Commission oversight.