LEOMINSTER — The Leominster City Council voted Monday, June 8, 2026, to approve a zoning change requested by the Spanish American Center that will allow the organization to move forward with plans to expand its food pantry operations.
The petition, listed as 50-26, requested an amendment to the Zoning Ordinance of the City of Leominster to change the boundaries of the zoning districts shown on the zoning map, so that the 0.23-acre parcel at 132 First Street, identified as Parcel 2 on Assessor’s Map 39, would be located entirely in the Business B district.
The matter returned to the council’s Legal Affairs Committee as a continued public hearing on Monday, June 8, 2026, before advancing to the full council for a vote.
Christopher Anderson, of Hannigan Engineering, appeared on behalf of the Spanish American Center and said the organization owns both 132 First Street and the adjacent property at 112 Spruce Street.
According to the discussion, the Spanish American Center currently operates its food pantry out of the basement at 112 Spruce Street. A representatives of the Spanish American Center at the meeting said the goal is to build a new pantry space by expanding onto an existing structure between the two properties.
“What we need is to expand services for our food pantry,” a representative of the Spanish American Center said during the hearing. “We are working on this plan for now for a while and to continue serving the community we need to build a new food pantry.”
During questioning from councilors, representatives said the pantry serves about 25 people per day, Monday through Thursday, and close to 100 families per week.
The pantry provides basic supplies and food staples.
“And we deserve better,” a representative of the Spanish American Center said. “Right now, we are a basement and we deserve a better place and we have the capacity.”
Melanie Trottier, who works at the Spanish American Center, said the organization is not seeking to increase the pantry’s service capacity at this time, but is trying to move the operation out of the basement and into a safer, more functional first-floor location.
“We are simply wanting to be able to build so that we can get out of the basement of 112 Spruce Street, which if anyone has gone down there, you do need a hard hat for that tour,” Trottier said.
Trottier said the pantry would continue operating as a drive-thru, with vehicles entering from First Street, having food loaded into the car, and then exiting.
She said the center has changed its service model in the past to address neighborhood traffic concerns and to operate in harmony with nearby residents.
Ward 3 Councilor David Cormier, who is on the Legal Affair Committee, noted that Mayor Dean Mazzarella had submitted a letter asking councilors to consider that if the Spanish American Center ever moved from the site, a future property owner could use the Business B zoning for any use allowed in that district.
Cormier said he understood the mayor’s point but did not believe expanding the Business B district by slightly under a quarter-acre would make a major difference, especially because other nearby parcels already have that zoning.
“I think it’s in harmony with what’s already there,” Cormier said. “And I think it helps this community organization to achieve some of their goals and execute their mission.”
Ward 4 Councilor Mark Bodanza also questioned the amount of frontage that would be added to the Business B district. Anderson said the total frontage on First Street is 90.75 feet, and Bodanza said the change would create less than 80 feet of additional Business B frontage.
The Leominster Planning Board voted 7-0 on June 1 to recommend the petition to the city council. The Health Department also submitted a letter to the city council stating that it had no objection to the proposed plans and values the Spanish American Center’s commitment to the city.
Several councilors praised the Spanish American Center’s role in the community during the hearing.
Legal Affairs Committee Chair Pauline Cormier said some neighbors were initially concerned when the Spanish American Center moved into the area 32 years ago, but that the organization has since become a valued part of the neighborhood.
“When you first came, there was a lot in the neighborhood that really worried about what might happen,” Cormier said. “And I can tell you in the 32 years that you’ve been there, you’re now a staple in that neighborhood. And if you ever went anywhere, there would be a lot of disappointed people around you.”
The Legal Affairs Committee unanimously recommended approval of the petition. The Leominster City Council then voted 8-0, with one abstention from Ward 1 Councilor Eladia Romero, to grant the zoning change.
