BY ANDREAS YILMA
CITIZENS NEWS
NAUGATUCK — Nearby property and business owners are opposed to a plan for a residential treatment center in the heart of downtown.
The owner of 58 Maple St., Heritage Downtown, is looking to open up a 46-bed, voluntary co-ed residential detox treatment facility in the same building in which Trinity Health urgent care center and Myeyedr reside.
The Zoning Commission opened a hearing May 14 for an application for the proposed text change to add residential treatment facilities as a permitted use to a B-1 zone; add a definition of residential treatment facilities; add a parking standard for residential treatment facilities; and for a special permit application.
Attorney John Knuff, who represents the applicant, said about 16,000 square feet of the building have been vacant since the building was constructed. The only proposed addition is a small outdoor fenced area that is only accessible from inside of the building to provide the residents and staff with a place to spend some time outside on a nice day.
Knuff said the facility would provide patients with dignified accommodations including a barbershop, cafeteria and a gaming area. It would be a staff secured facility where staff has eyes on patients all the time. The typical stay would be about two to three weeks.
Haven Health Management would manage the residential treatment facility. Haven Health has about 20 similar facilities in Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Florida and other states, Knuff said.
The applicant is expected return before the Planning Commission in early June which prompted the Zoning Commission to extend the hearing to June 19.
Behavioral Health Consultant Peter Rockholz, on behalf of the applicant, will primarily be in charge of preparing the certificate of need application that will be submitted to the Connecticut Department of Public Health.
The facility is expected to bring in 60 to 80 employees. The patients would not be coming and going but rather they would be brought and leave the facility by a loved one or a Haven staff member, Knuff said.
“They’ll be getting a license for the treatment of substance abusive or dependent persons as well as an intermediate treatment facility. Both of those are purely and entirely residential,” Knuff said.
Knuff said there is a need for this type of facility in the Naugatuck Valley.
“Overdoses remain one of the five causes of premature deaths from 2015 to 2021,” Knuff said. “The number of fatal overdoses caused by opioids in the valley has more than tripled since 2014. So those are just some examples of how we know that there is a dramatic need for this type of facility not only in the state but especially in the Naugatuck Valley.”
Haven Health Management attorney Cheyenne Riker, said they’ve been in this business for 12 years, they are accredited through the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities and certified by the American Society of Addiction Medicine for residential treatment services.
After more than a decade in the industry, they’ve never had a complaint about the security of their facilities or never had a patient escape and cause harm or damage to anyone in the surrounding community, Riker said.
Rockholz, who has been in the field of addiction and mental health in the state for 51 years, including about half of that time operating facilities and served under Gov. M. Jodi Rell as the Deputy Commissioner for the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, said the northeast for about 50 years has had a high incidence of heroin addiction.
“Haven was primarily interested in this part of the state because of the fact that in the Naugatuck River Valley region, 29 municipalities, there are no detox facilities for drug and alcohol,” Rockholz said. “Detox is typically the first place where people will show up for help.”
The closest detox facility to the borough is about 30 miles away with only 11 facilities in the state.
Attorney Michael McVerry, who is representing over two dozen local property and business owners in the area, said his clients don’t deny this type of need exists but they are against the location.
“If you look at the 2023 Borough Plan of Conservation and Development, in the vision, the borough is seeking to preserve the traditional character with a core downtown area becoming a more vibrant center of activity and a destination,” McVerry said. “The downtown area will continue to be defined visually and aesthetically providing a positive experience for residents and visitors with a distinct identity.”
McVerry said the borough has been spending a great deal of time and funds to develop a comprehensive plan for residential mixed use rates.
“It will result in completely altering the zoning scheme within this district to the financial determent of the town,” McVerry said.
