Rob VanEggen, chairman of the Seymour Planning & Zoning Commission, addresses residents at the end of a meeting in February.
SEYMOUR – Members of the Seymour Planning and Zoning Commission are reviewing plans to convert the former Villa Bianca wedding venue on Route 34 into a residential mental health treatment center.
In April, the commission approved adding the phrase “community mental health residential living center” to its zoning regulations.
That approval enabled Newport Healthcare to present a site plan application to the commission. A site plan is essentially the blueprints outlining how the new use will fit inside the property.
Attorney Matthew Ranelli, representing Newport, presented the proposed site plan during a public hearing held Aug. 10. The commission took no action on the proposal, instead opting to keep the hearing open until Sept. 14.
What’s Being Proposed
Ranelli said Newport is repurposing and upgrading the existing buildings at 312 Roosevelt Drive, along with a nearby house at 129 Squantuck Road. He said the proposal will bring new jobs to town and will not impact traffic.
The new jobs will presumably replace the jobs lost when the wedding hall closed. Villa Bianca owners announced they were closing earlier this year in a Facebook post, but Newport Health is still in the process of purchasing the property.
Newport Health would not have out-patient services, and the only cars going in and out of the facility would be employees or family visitors. The end result, Ranelli said, will be a facility that will fill a growing demand for mental health care, while being a good neighbor to Seymour.
Newport’s CEO Joe Procopio said his company wants to convert Villa Bianca into a 42-bed facility (with six beds in the Squantuck Road property), with 125 employees. The facility would treat young adults for various mental health issues, such as anxiety, depression, eating disorders and substance abuse.
Procopio said about two-thirds of Newport’s clients are typically teenage girls, around age 17, suffering from depression, anxiety and trauma. Other clients, about 3 percent, are treated for substance abuse, he said.
Newport Healthcare was established in 2008 in California and has facilities in 11 states, with three in Connecticut in Bethlehem, Darien and Fairfield. Procopio said there is a waiting list at most of the facilities for people trying to get help.
“Our youth are suffering, and the situation is not getting any better,” Procopio said.
What The Neighbors Are Saying
About 30 residents showed up at the hearing. Five residents spoke in opposition of the proposal, citing concerns of increased traffic on busy Route 34 (Roosevelt Drive) along the Housatonic River.
“I’m concerned with taxing our emergency service departments (with potential increased call volumes for emergencies at the facility),” said Lori Miko, who lives nearby. “Nobody is questioning the need for this type of facility, but there are concerns about patient safety and concerns with (patients leaving the facility) and trespassing on our properties.”
Resident Corey Firmender said he is oncerned for patient safety, especially situated on a busy road with the Housatonic River across the street.
“Security is a big part for me, we would have a lot of young people there, with a river and a very busy road,” Firmender said.
Two residents spoke in favor of the proposal, saying the need for mental health facilities is greater now more than ever, especially coming out of the t COVID-19 pandemic.
“We have families here who need this facility now,” said resident Jenny Rice. “As a daughter of a dad in a psychiatric facility, I know mental health isn’t something that happens to one person.”
Newport COO Jameson Norton said maintaining a safe facility for patients is key.
“The intention is to build a safe and healing therapeutic center, and this will be a resource that the town is going to be proud of for a very long time,” Norton said. “We will have 24/7 supervision, cameras, window and door alarms.”
Norton said they would be open to appointing a community liaison so town officials could reach out anytime, as well, to ensure the facility is in compliance and to discuss any concerns.
Seymour Emergency Services Check In
Part of any site plan review process includes circulating the plans to police, fire and EMS for feedback.
Seymour Police Chief John Bucherati found no issues with the plans.
“It looks like a well-laid out site plan with a lot of safety measures in place,” Bucherati said.
Seymour Fire Chief Chris Edwards said he reached out to colleagues regarding Newport’s Bethlehem facility, and learned they average about 25 calls a year. Edwards said Seymour has responded to far more fire calls than that when the facility was still Villa Bianca.
Seymour Ambulance Association Chief Brian Ryan said he’s concerned with increased calls.
“Our call volume is going to increase, no doubt, and I can’t say that I don’t have concerns about that, but we’ll hit it head on,” Ryan said.
