ZBA approves Leighton Street 40B housing permit

Zoning Board of Appeals · Meeting of October 29, 2026

PEPPERELL — The Pepperell Zoning Board of Appeals voted unanimously to approve a Chapter 40B comprehensive permit for a multifamily housing project on Leighton Street, finalizing more than fifteen zoning waivers. The project includes 350 bedrooms, 378 parking spaces and an average of nine affordable units per building, with a 46-foot building height. The board denied waivers for outdoor lighting and a side-yard setback it deemed unnecessary, and split 2-1 to grant a sign-size waiver, with one member saying "I don't agree with the size." On fees, the board waived sewer connection charges only for affordable units while denying a full water connection fee waiver, against a cited total of $452,500 if no fees were waived.

A member said she was "okay with waiving it for the sewer, for the affordable only." The board also authorized the chair to sign the final decision, with filing due to the town clerk within 14 days.

In the full story:

• Overview and procedural posture
• Reviewing the draft decision line by line
• Waiver-by-waiver votes
• Final decision votes
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 2,028 words

Source: the Zoning Board of Appeals meeting of October 29, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript. It was corrected where it differed.