Pepperell Planning Board unanimously approves 50 Main Street six-family rebuild with conditions

PEPPERELL — August 16, 2021 — Pepperell Planning Board unanimously approves rebuild of fire-destroyed six-family building at 50 Main Street. The board voted 4-0 Monday night to grant major site plan review approval for the Degmar Development Corp. project, conditioned on the applicant resolving 13 outstanding drainage engineering comments from DPW Business Manager Paul Brinkman to the satisfaction of the town's engineering department prior to building permit issuance. Applicant Peter Marlowe disputed several of the technical findings, contending engineer Patrick Flaherty had been working from a complete set of plans that Brinkman had not received, and the board struck a proposed condition limiting exposed foundation wall height in the rear yard after concluding a required retaining wall could worsen drainage. The board also voted unanimously to approve a $700 expenditure from master plan funds for Climate Change Council brochures ahead of Fall Festival and endorsed, without a formal vote, a new funding-request process developed by the Master Plan Implementation Team for roughly $32,500 in available master plan funds. In a closing announcement, Chair Casey revealed that alternate member Jennifer Gingras has been selected as the town's new Town Planner, effective September.