Mental Health Center Approved

Over the objections of about a dozen residents, planning and zoning commissioners Monday voted 4-1 to approve a mental health and drug addiction treatment facility for men.

Neighbors who live near the proposed treatment facility at Grove Road and Oakado Street in Brooksville feared the patients would pose a threat to children and adults who live in the area.

Others worried about declining property values, flooding and more traffic congestion.

But after almost 90 minutes of debate, the majority of the board sided with their own planning staffers and recommended approved a special exception use permit for Westbridge Florida Properties LLC.

Unless someone lodges an appeal with county commissioners and that board agrees to rehear the matter, the case is closed.

"I'm hearing a lot of fear and concern, but I'm not hearing any facts to indicate that there is or there isn't (a problem)," Planning Commissioner Robert Widmar said.

Widmar said there are already two other treatment facilities on Grove Road - Springbrook Hospital and The Harbor - and there haven't been any documented reports showing a spike in crime.

Westbridge will only house 20 people at a time instead of the requested 24, a stipulation set down Monday by the P&Z board.

Adding 20 more people to the hundreds from the other two facilities is hardly a major concern, Widmar said.

Planning commissioners also required the facility be secured with a 6-foot high chain link fence.

Rose Lemieux, who lives in the area, urged planning commissioners to deny the project. Lemieux said she will no longer take walks and parents will keep their children indoors.

"Our kids are going to be locked in and that's not right for them to be locked in," she said.

Amanda Goodell of Oakado Street said Westbridge will be within walking distance of three schools.

Goodell said she is not against a treatment center designed for people getting help for their addictions, but a residential area "is a horrible location for it."

Neighbor Carol Pulice said the street tends to flood after heavy rains and paving over land will exacerbate the problem.

Mary Woods, chief executive officer for Westbridge, said her facility is voluntary and doesn't admit people who are homicidal, suicidal, have criminal backgrounds or are sexual offenders or predators.

Westbridge is a private, nonprofit facility based in Manchester, N.H.

The facility prides itself on security, she said. In fact, she only named an episode where a client managed to buy a six-pack of beer and brought it back to the center.

But that was on a main street in Manchester, N.H., she said.

Planning Commissioner Anthony Palmieri was the sole nay vote.

"What bothers me is that we would have people residing in this area that have an unpredictable behavior," Palmieri said.

Palmieri said he doesn't normally go against staff recommendations, but in this case, he didn't believe a mental health treatment facility would be compatible with the surrounding uses and could "destroy the neighborhood."