Pepperell Planning Board Recommends Two Candidates to Fill Long-Standing Vacancies

PEPPERELL -- August 5, 2024, Pepperell Planning Board recommends two candidates to fill vacant seats as new state ADU law reshapes local strategy. The board voted 3-1 to recommend Amanda Huntington, owner of Huntington Precision LLC and a member of the town's Affordable Housing Trust, for a full member vacancy left by departing member Brooke, and voted 4-0 to recommend Sandra Hartnett, a retired nurse with 40 years in health care and international mission work, as associate member; both candidates must still clear a joint meeting with the Select Board before appointment. Town Planner Jason Varoqua briefed the board on newly signed state legislation, amending Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 40A, that prohibits municipalities from barring accessory dwelling units in single-family residential zones, capping ADU size at the lesser of half the principal dwelling's floor area or 900 square feet; Varoqua said the law gives the board time to bring a refined bylaw to spring town meeting rather than rushing to fall. Varoqua also presented a draft fee benchmarking study showing Pepperell's planning application fees, last updated in 2016, are lower than those of most comparable communities, and said he plans formal recommendations at a September meeting.