Newport Academy is interested in buying the Villa Bianca. Newport treats depression, anxiety, PTSD & trauma, bipolar, adjustment, borderline personality, obsessive compulsive, eating and mood disorders, also alcohol, substance, opioid and prescription drug abuses.
Newport does not restrain their patients; they are allowed to come and go as they please. Before Newport buys the property, they are petitioning the town of Seymour to make a change to the ENTIRE RC3 (Recreational Commercial) zone along the Housatonic River to allow a “hospital-like out-patient care facility.”
They are not going to petition for a variance of one piece of property but want to change the entire zone. Newport allows their patients to come and go as they please. There are two bars and a liquor store within a short walking distance. Easy access to alcohol would be convenient for a recovering alcoholic to get a drink if they chose.
The river is across the street. Rt 34 has little cross walks and no sidewalks with a skinny bike lane. There are also little Police, EMS and or fire services on the Rt 34 side of town. Maybe Newport rehab is only thinking about dollar signs? I don’t know, but it does not seem like they are making a good patient centered decision in this Zoning change. A Newport Rehab facility in our town would be ideal in the downtown area of Seymour. There is open land, police, fire, EMS, sidewalks, stop lights and cross walks in and around downtown Seymour. This zoning change will affect many people in this busy area for one business.
The town zoning meeting was standing room only in the biggest meeting room the Seymour town hall has. The meeting was supposed to be 1 hour which ended up being well over 2 hours. Some of my neighbors could not understand why one business wants to change the entire zone. We showed up and if the rules for our zone do change, it is NOT due to the concerned citizens in our zone.
If this zoning change is allowed, it won’t affect me. This is not a “Not in my backyard” thing. The river looks very inviting on a hot day. If you don’t know how to swim well, that river will kill you. There are many people who knew how to swim well, and that river still killed them. This is more of a “Are you really sure you want your customers walking up and down Rt 34 or taking a quick dip in the river? People are hitting guard rails and telephone polls on Rt 34 on a weekly basis. So, let’s increase foot traffic on Rt 34? Sounds like a great idea, doesn’t it? Very good swimmers and boaters have died in that river and many cars have crashed on Rt 34, including vehicles ending up in the water.
I think there’s a strong need for this type of facility in my town, however, there are safer buildings and sites than on the Rt 34 corridor. I have lived in Seymour for 23 years. This zoning change is not good for me or my neighbors. This is not a good situation for the patients who would be visiting this proposed facility.
Greg Stevens
Seymour
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