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.