Group Warns That Wilmington Detox Center Is Not Dead

WILMINGTON, MA -- Concerned Citizen of Wilmington, the group that spearheaded opposition to a proposed drug treatment facility, is warning followers that the project may not be dead, despite a rejection earlier this month by the Zoning Board of Appeals. The group is asking selectmen to intervene and told followers in a Facebook post that backers of the project are lobbying selectmen to force the project through.

"The Applicant of the Detox Center is requesting that the ZBA waive any/all Town bylaws that would cause the Detox to be denied the Special Permit. So we have asked the Board of Selectmen to get proactively involved in this process," the group said on its Facebook page.

Concerned Citizens of Wilmington sent a letter to selectmen, and that letter is on the agenda for Monday night's meeting. A spokesperson for Betterment Inc., the project's backer, could not be reached for comment Friday.

Selectmen have no authority over the project. And while the proposal to build a drug detox center on Middlesex Avenue passed both the planning board and zoning board of appeals, it did not get the super-majority vote it needed to clear the zoning board.

The project was first proposed in Sept. 2017 and prompted Wilmington Town Meeting to pass zoning rules limiting where such facilities could be located in Dec. 2017.

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Patch file photo.

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).