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Peabody Council unanimously approves special permit for 4951 Lowell Street with conditions
Summary
The Peabody City Council on Nov. 25 approved a special permit allowing a contractor shop at 4951 Lowell Street, imposing site-plan, screening, hours and no-outdoor-storage conditions. The vote was 10–0.
The Peabody City Council voted unanimously Nov. 25 to approve a special permit allowing a contractor shop at 4951 Lowell Street, with conditions intended to limit exterior activity and protect the downtown character.
Attorney John Kelty, representing 49 51 Lowell Holdings LLC, told the council the owner acquired the property in May 2025 and had revised plans to show a dumpster location, a landscaped buffer to meet downtown design standards and a double catch basin in the parking area. "We are in complete agreement with those conditions," Kelty said.
Councilor Joseph McGinn, who moved approval, described the site as a high-visibility parcel near the city common that has seen recent cleanup and improvements. McGinn noted departmental reviews by Community Development, the Conservation Commission and DPS and said the applicant had addressed those responses. "I'm in support of this application," McGinn said.
The approval, carried by roll-call vote 10–0, attaches the city site plan dated 11/13/2025 and includes these conditions: deliveries by vans or similar-sized vehicles; no overnight vehicle storage; the dumpster must be located and screened as shown on the approved site plan and comply with zoning section 10.4(c); no outdoor storage or stockpiles and no contractor work outside the building; compliance with Main Street downtown design standards including installation and maintenance of a landscape buffer; all signs must comply with applicable design standards and zoning section 11; and business hours limited to 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
The council recorded the names of the ten voting councilors during the roll call. Attorney Kelty thanked the council after the vote. The permit was granted under the provisions of the Peabody zoning ordinance cited in the hearing notice.
The council closed the public hearing before voting; no members of the public spoke for or against the application during the meeting.
What happens next: the approved permit will be subject to the site plan and the listed conditions; any further changes to operations that conflict with those conditions would require additional review or amendment.
