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.