Pepperell ZBA Unanimously Approves Two Accessory Apartment Permits Wednesday Night

PEPPERELL — April 4, 2018 — Pepperell Zoning Board of Appeals grants two accessory apartment special permits in a single session. The board voted unanimously twice on Wednesday, April 4, 2018, approving permits for properties at 114 Lawrence Street and 65 Mount Lebanon Street after Building Inspector Bob Kelly confirmed both proposed units fall below the town's 800-square-foot maximum. At 114 Lawrence Street, a continuation hearing that opened February 28 was resolved after Kelly proposed a single interior wall to reduce a basement unit from 987 square feet to 788, eliminating the applicant's need for a companion variance. At 65 Mount Lebanon Street, Kelly measured an over-garage unit built circa 2000 at 796 square feet; the applicant said the space was originally constructed for his mother, who never moved in, and he sought to legalize it before a potential sale. The board also began a discussion on reforming its application intake process, agreeing to add pre-filing guidance language to its public instructions packet and to seek further direction from Town Counsel on what authority the administrative assistant has to reject incomplete submissions before the mandatory 65-day hearing clock begins.