Planning Board Declares Chamberlain Way Driveway Changes a Major Permit Modification

PEPPERELL — March 21, 2022 — Pepperell Planning Board escalates Chamberlain Way driveway dispute to major permit modification. The board voted 4-0 Monday to classify changes to the common driveway at 1-4 Chamberlain Way as a major modification of Special Permit SP 2020-02, requiring the developer to reapply with full engineering documentation. Building Commissioner Bentley and Conservation Commission member Paula both reported visiting the site that afternoon and finding a waste management truck stuck for most of the day in the designated fire-apparatus turnaround. "If that had been a fire truck, a $1.4 million fire truck, how would that have looked today?" Paula told the board. Board member Al said fill materials used in the turnaround did not meet structural specifications and that the road profile was channeling groundwater to a single low point, warning the board it was "looking at something that was haphazardly done." The applicant's engineer, Kenneth Laney of Cornerstone, said a second 12-inch reinforced concrete pipe needs to be added at the first culvert crossing and that drainage swale work would proceed over the next 30 to 90 days. The board also unanimously approved a major site plan review for McQuaid Enterprises LLC to move Matley Plumbing and Matley Pools into the former Appleseeds preschool at 18 Lomar Park Drive, with conditions requiring parking lot lights on a timer and ADA-compliant restriping.