October 17, 2022

Pepperell received a $68,000 Community Planning Grant from the Community One Stop for Growth program through the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD).

The Town of Pepperell will perform an audit of the existing zoning bylaw and develop amendments that would update the bylaw, including to ensure consistency with MGL Ch. 40A and judicial decisions; identify sections of the bylaw that require clarity and consistency; provide recommendations on appropriate lot size requirements to better accommodate affordable housing; and better accommodation of agricultural and commercial uses.

Award Letter from DHCD

Application to One Stop (DHCD), dated May 26, 2022

May 26, 2022

Pepperell is the proud recipient of a $200K grant through the Shared Streets and Spaces Program through MassDOT for Railroad Square Sidewalk Network Improvements.

The project will make pedestrian and bicycle safety improvements to historic Railroad Square, which is the heart of the business district in Pepperell, Massachusetts.  Safety improvements will include installing Rapid Flashing Beacons with advanced LED signs at the crossing of the Nashua River Rail Trail across Groton Street to provide a highly visible advance warning of users approaching the crossing.  The project would also entail the expansion of the existing sidewalk area along Main Street to accommodate space for improved streetscape such as benches and planters, outdoor dining, and way-finding signage to enhance pedestrian and bicyclist awareness of local destinations and events.  Additionally, the travel lanes along Main Street will be narrowed for the purpose of traffic calming and speed reduction, the crosswalks will be upgraded to include modifications for ADA compliance and new striping to provide better visibility for pedestrians and drivers, and the parking area along Main Street will be re-striped, with additional handicap parking spaces added for improved accessibility.  

A neighborhood/business meeting will be scheduled soon to go through the project timeline.

The draft project documents can be viewed here: 

Letter of Award (May 20, 2022)

Draft Layout of Project (February 28, 2022)

Locus Map (February 28, 2022)

January 30, 2022

The Peter Fitzpatrick School is in the news!  Read about the food hub and commercial kitchen in the works!  See the article here.

January 5, 2022

The Town, through the Planning Board, has hired Brovitz Community Planning & Design, in association with Dodson & Flinker, Inc., to provide professional services in updating the existing Mixed Use Overlay District Bylaw to encompass Pepperell's full downtown area, including Railroad Square, the adjacent former mill site, and the Main Street economic corridor down to the historic Town Hall.  

The Town is using funding provided through the One Stop for Growth Grant Program to create a Mixed-Use Overlay District (MUOD) bylaw that extends an existing MUOD throughout the Town’s central economic area known as Railroad Square/The Main Street Corridor. The extended MUOD is the linchpin in the Town’s long-term economic and community development strategy. It should create a pedestrian-friendly downtown district, provide additional housing opportunities, and enhance the economic resiliency and strength of the businesses in this area by establishing a unique destination identity. The proposed MUOD will emphasize and protect the distinctive features and character of this unique area, and encourage a mix of retail, service, office, affordable and age-friendly housing, live-work units, and public activities that coexist naturally with a pedestrian orientation, while taking full advantage of the vitality and resiliency that mixed uses can bring to a community.

The consultant will examine the development potential throughout the area known as Railroad Square/The Main Street Corridor.  The consultant will assess existing conditions, identify existing and future infrastructure capacities and improvements, identify natural constraints, with a key focus on identifying development potential for the project area.  The consultant will engage town residents and officials in public meetings to solicit input to develop a vision for the project area.  The end result will be a bylaw that incorporates the above-mentioned topics.

Read the Proposal here.