Pepperell Planning Board votes to add zoning district definitions to Town Meeting warrant

PEPPERELL -- September 22, 2025, Pepperell Planning Board unanimously advances zoning district definitions to Town Meeting warrant. The board voted 4-0 at its September 22 meeting to send a proposed amendment adding Section 2150 Definitions to the town's zoning bylaw, filling a gap that member David Ganong said leaves Pepperell legally exposed when project denials are challenged in court. The amendment defines all eight of the town's zoning districts, Rural Residential, Urban Residential, Town Residential, Commercial, Recreational Residential, Industrial, Suburban Residential, and an updated Urban Residential category, in general terms deliberately kept brief to avoid conflict with the separately governed table of permitted uses. "If you can't get these definitions passed, then we've got a bigger problem," Ganong said. The warrant article deadline is October 3, and the amendment requires a two-thirds majority at Town Meeting to take effect.