Zoning Board To Consider Wilmington Detox Center February 14

WILMINGTON, MA -- The decision on whether or not a detox facility will be allowed to open at 362 Middlsex Avenue in Wilmington could come as early as Feb. 14, when the Zoning Board of Appeals holds its hearing on the proposal. Last month Wilmington voters approved a change to zoning laws that would limit such facilities to industrial areas of town. But because Betterment LLC filed its application for a special permit before thse rules were adopted, it is subject to the old zoning laws.

The proposal has split residents since it was first announced in September. An advocacy group, Concerned Citizen of Wilmington, was formed to oppose the proposal, citing safety concerns about locating it in a residential and commercial neighborhood. That group led the effort to overhaul the town zoning bylaws.

At the same time, even some of the opponents of the proposal conceded that, like many Massachusetts communities, Wilmington had been hard hit by the opioid epidemic. Backers of the project argue such a facility would aid Wilmington families suffering from addiction and create jobs.

The Zoning Board will largely be ruling on whether or not Betterment's application conforms with town zoning laws. Most observers believe that under the old zoning rules, Wilmington has few options to stop the center from locating at 362 Middlesex Avenue.

But even the ZBA has been pulled into the political fracas. In October, board chairman Daniel Veerman came under fire to referring to addicts as "junkies" on his personal Facebook page. Proponents of the project questioned his ability to rule objectively on the plan.

More on this story:

• Wilmington Just Says No To Rec Pot Sales, Detox Facilities (12/17/2017)
• Wilmington Detox Center Opponents Threatened(12/6/2017)
• Wilmington, It's Not Over: Letter To The Editor(12/2/2017)
• Selectman, Wilmington Resident Battle Over Detox Center Proposal (11/19/2017)
• Wilmington Detox Center Saga To Continue At Special Town Meeting (11/7/2017)
• Wilmington Selectman: Town Manager Is 'A Sneaky Little Weasel'(11/1/2017)
• Wilmington Detox Center Opponents Force Town Meeting: Report(10/27/2017)
• Wilmington Official Who Would Decide Fate Of Detox Center Calls Drug Addicted 'Junkies'(10/16/2017)
• Wilmington Detox Facility Backers Considering Other Sites For Controversial Proposal (10/10/2017)
• Residents Start Petition Opposing Wilmington Detox Facility Proposal (10/5/2017)
• Who Are The Other Partners Behind The Wilmington Detox Center Proposal? (10/4/2017)
• Lead Backer Pulls Out Of Group That Wants To Build Wilmington Drug Addiction Treatment Facility(9/27/2017)
• More Questions, Concerns Raised About Wilmington Detox Facility Backer, Proposal (9/27/2017)

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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).