Detox Facility In Early Planning Phases For Vacant Wilmington Lot

Town officials are in preliminary discussions with an unidentified party that wants to build a 40-bed detox facility in Wilmington to treat drug and alcohol addiction. The proposed facility would be built on a two-acre, vacant lot at 362 Middlesex Avenue near the MBTA commuter rail station. Publicly, however, Wilmington officials say its too early to comment on the proposal.

Director of Public Health Shelley Newhouse referred comment to Planning and Conservation Director Valerie Gingrich. Gingrich said she could not comment on the proposal because no plans or proposals had been filed with her department

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But last week the Wilmington Apple reported that Newhouse had discussed the plans, which are "in the very early stages" at a recent Board of Health Meeting. The project is being proposed by an unnamed North Reading lawyer who runs a similar facility in Wakefield.

“Any reservations I had went away after the presentation,” said Newhouse. “The company received a stellar recommendation from the Wakefield Board of Health and Wakefield Chief of Police.”

Detox centers are typically the first step in treating people with severe substance addictions. The centers help patients through the withdrawal phase, which can be life-threatening in certain cases. About 22.5 million Americans needed some sort of substance abuse treatment in 2014 and opioid-related deaths increased fourfold in Massachusetts between 2000 and 2015.

Patients at detox facilities usually stay for a week or two before moving onto longer-term care facilities. The backer of the Wilmington facility would have neighborhood meetings and could begin discussing the proposal with Selectmen as early as October, Newhouse reportedly said.

The retailer Dollar General has also considered building a store on the land. A realtors listing for the property notes that it is zoned for general business uses and other uses could be considered with a special permit. There are currently two structures on the property.

For more on this story see the Wilmington Apple.

Photo by Dave Copeland.