Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Community Services topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council grants small zoning change for Spanish American Center to move pantry out of basement
Summary
The council unanimously recommended and later approved petition 50‑26 to rezone a 0.23‑acre parcel at 132 1st Street into Business B so the Spanish American Center can move its food pantry and related operations out of a basement into a ground‑level space.
The Leominster City Council approved petition 50‑26 on June 8 to amend the zoning map so that Parcel 2 (approximately 0.23 acres) at 132 1st Street is entirely in the Business B district. The petition, presented by Chris Anderson of Hanigan Engineering and representatives of the Spanish American Center, said the center intends to expand kitchen and food pantry operations and use an existing outbuilding to improve accessibility and operations.
A center representative described running the pantry from a cramped basement and said moving to a ground‑level space will allow more efficient, drive‑through service and safer volunteer and client access: "We're gonna be able to serve more...we deserve better," the representative said. Melanie Trottier, who works at the center, said staff have adapted operations to minimize neighborhood impact and do not plan to increase the pantry’s service volume immediately; they want to replace an unsafe basement workflow with a safer ground‑level area.
Council members noted referrals: the planning board voted 7–0 to recommend the petition, and the health department reported no objection. The mayor submitted a letter asking the council to consider the underlying table of uses (which differ between zoning districts) if the center later left the property, but speakers and councilors emphasized the limited size of the parcel (about 80 feet of frontage) and the immediate public‑service benefit.
The legal affairs committee recommended granting the petition; the council then approved it by roll call (8–0 with one abstention recorded). Councilors praised the center’s long service record and described the change as modest and supportive of the center’s mission.
