A 2022 Google map showing the entrance to Villa Bianca.
SEYMOUR – The second public hearing on a zone-text change that could kick off the conversion of a wedding banquet hall into a mental health treatment facility is scheduled for 6 p.m. Feb. 16 at Seymour Town Hall.
Members of the Seymour Planning and Zoning Commission – a five member elected body – are considering a request from Newport Healthcare to add the words ‘community mental health residential living center’ to the zoning language controlling what’s allowed in the town’s RC‑3 district.
The commission’s chairman is sure the public hearing will close after the Feb. 16 hearing, but is not sure of when his commission will vote. Under state law, they have 65 days after closing the public hearing.
The earliest the commission could vote is on March 9, the date of the commission’s next regularly scheduled meeting.
What’s Happening
Newport Healthcare is trying to purchase the property that currently houses Villa Bianca, a wedding banquet facility, and turn it into a residential treatment center for young people with mental health issues.
Villa Bianca is across from the Housatonic River at 312 Roosevelt Drive, also known as state Route 34. Newport is also in the process of buying 129 Squantuck Road, a house that is essentially next to the Villa Bianca property.
The Process
If the commission adds the language to the zone, Newport Healthcare could then file a site plan application with the town for a treatment center. That site plan, which would include information on everything from traffic impact to landscaping, would also have to be reviewed and voted upon by the commission.
Villa Bianca is still open. In a Facebook post over the weekend, the business announced it was closing later this year. However, the post was removed. Its owners have not returned calls for comment.
The First Public Hearing
The first public hearing on the zone text ‘amendment’ was held on Jan. 12. More than 75 people showed up. The majority of people who spoke were against the proposal.
Many prefaced their comments by saying that while they’re not opposed to mental health services, they questioned whether the property is the right location.
Resident Joan Firmender presented the commission with a petition containing 128 signatures against the zone-text amendment, citing concerns of noise, a potential decline in property values, and increased traffic on an already congested Route 34.
Click here for a Valley Indy story on the first public hearing. Click here for a letter to the editor authored by a resident.
Newport Healthcare
Newport Healthcare is a private business specializing in mental health treatment for young people.
Newport Healthcare CEO Joe Procopio said the treatment group began in Newport Beach, California in 2008. It has facilities in 11 states treating adolescents and young adults with mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, trauma, eating disorders, and substance abuse.
Newport has three facilities in Connecticut: Bethlehem, Darien and Fairfield.
Procopio said a Seymour facility would have 40 beds and 125 employees. Newport has facilities for both males and females. Clients would not be permitted to have cars. The staff would consist of doctors, nurses, therapists, psychiatrists, care coordinators, teachers and nutritionists.
Procopio said mental health issues have been on the rise for the last decade and has seen a major uptick during the COVID-19 pandemic. He said there are not enough facilities to meet the demand. In a 2022 survey by the Connecticut Department of Health, 70 percent of state high school students reported their mental health was not good, while another 13 percent saying they had suicidal thoughts.
The Public May Speak, However …
The Jan. 12 public hearing on the matter was about two hours long.
The commission did not close the public hearing, but opted to continue the public hearing at the meeting scheduled for Feb. 16.
However, the public was told that the Feb. 16 meeting would be reserved for Newport Healthcare to respond to issues raised by the public during the Jan. 12 public hearing.
Members of the general public were told to email comments to [email protected] by Feb. 9 in order to be a part of the public record.
The Valley Indy checked with several local lawyers and the public information officer for the state’s Freedom of Information Commission. They all said the Seymour commission was within its legal rights to proceed in that manner.
However, the practice does differ from some neighboring commissions when it comes to planning and zoning issues that attract the public’s attention.
Example – the Derby Planning and Zoning Commission did not set such a limit on the public during a review of controversial plans to renovate The Hops Co., a popular beer garden next to a residential area in Derby.
Nor did the Derby commission set such a limit when the city reviewed a proposal to convert a former nursing home into a dormitory for foreign-born students.
Rob VanEgghen, the chairman of the Seymour Planning and Zoning Commission, told The Valley Indy on Feb. 7 that members of the general public who did not speak during the January public hearing are welcome to speak at next week’s public hearing.
“We will allow anyone who has not previously spoken to give comment as long as they are not repeating previous issues or exceeding their time limit,” VanEgghen said. “This is again not an opportunity for previous speakers to rehash what was brought up, but for new speakers who are not able to attend the last meeting.”
