BY ANDREAS YILMA
Citizens News
NAUGATUCK – A proposed residential treatment facility is moving ahead to get clearance and open up in the downtown borough.
The Zoning Commission at its regular April 17 meeting accepted an application for a text change to the Naugatuck Land Use Zoning Regulations to add residential treatment facilities as a permitted use in a B-1 Zone and accepted the special permit application from Heritage LLC, out of Prospect for the location at 58 Maple St.
The commission set a public hearing for May 14 at 6:15 p.m. at Town Hall.
“The text change is to allow a residential treatment facility in B-1 Zone and it is also for the parking standards,” Zoning Enforcement Officer Ed Carter said.
The two-story building was constructed in 2019 and has a gross leasable area of 35,834 sq. ft. according to the property card.
The building sits on 2.57 acres. The proposed plan calls for a 24-hour residential facility which includes about 40 to 50 residents and staff, according the special permit application.
The borough currently doesn’t have a detox facility.
Heritage Downtown LLC, the owner of the property, acquired the property from the borough in March of 2017. The building’s current tenants are My Eye Doctor and St. Mary’s Medical Clinic. Heritage has been unable to lease the remainder of the building since its completion in 2019, according to the statement of use.
“Heritage proposes to locate a Residential Treatment Facility within vacant portions of the existing building’s first and second floors,” the statement of use reads.
The proposed facility would include a total of 23 residential units with two beds and a bathroom in each unit, as well as with associated staff, treatment, kitchen, laundry and common areas.
Parking for the facility will be proposed at a ratio of one parking space per every three beds. This is the same ratio as hospitals and convalescent homes since patients will not be driving.
The original special permit application for the property was for a proposed a mix of retail, medical offices, and residential uses but since the proposed facility will replace the retail and residential uses, the traffic generated by the facility will be considerably less than what the previously approved uses would generate, the statement of use reads.