After several years of review, the Greenville Planning Board approved the use of the former mill on Chamberlain Street as a substance abuse rehabilitation center earlier this year, though final approvals on some parts of the plan, including parking, are pending.
Georges Realty submitted the proposal to renovate 21 Chamberlain St. into a rehabilitation center for people with substance abuse disorder. The facility would be licensed by the state Department of Health and Human Services and provide services to up to 66 people on an in-patient basis.
The Planning Board began its review and discussion of the application in late 2022, with several pauses requested by the applicant to refine the proposal and gather information requested by the board and neighbors.
The Planning Board ultimately approved the proposed use in February, with lists of conditions that must be filled before work on the mill can go forward, and for how the rehabilitation center would operate after it opens.
Planning Board members said their major concern with the proposal was a possible strain on Greenville’s limited resources, particularly emergency services, which include a volunteer fire department and no overnight in-town police.
Georges Realty expressed willingness to provide a one-time “impact fee” to offset any potential burden on the town. The Planning Board said the town would welcome a donation but did not have the authority to assign or require an impact fee.
Overall, the board expressed support for the prospect of the mill, which has been empty and deteriorating for years, being renovated and in use again.
“For me, it comes down to the way it’s going to be operated,” said Planning Board member Tim Kearney during discussions in January. “A lot of things I would like to see controlled aren’t up to us to be controlled. I think this could be a real benefit, but once again, it comes down to how it’s going to be operated.”
Other issues discussed included parking, as the current plan calls for almost all the facility’s parking to be on a nearby property that is not owned by Georges Realty, but would be used under a long-term lease.
Conditions required before the approval is finalized include agreement on a site plan for off-site parking, which was a matter of contention for the board and neighbors. That site plan has yet to be filed by Georges Realty. The Planning Board also required a New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services shoreland permit for both the mill and proposed off-site parking, a full storm water management plan for the mill and parking, a sewer connection permit and a merger of the two lots that the mill spans. These conditions are still yet to be met.
After listening to neighbor concerns, the Planning Board also crafted a list of conditions for how the rehabilitation center will run, including putting a timeline on when the facility can ramp up to full occupancy.
Those conditions include that entrances and exits be monitored and recorded, and alarmed overnight, and that police must be notified of any patient who leaves against medical advice within 30 minutes of that person’s departure.
The facility must also keep records of all emergency service calls and provide a quarterly report with the number of calls for assistance. After three years, the facility may petition the Planning Board to reduce the frequency of reporting.
The conditions stipulate that patients can only stay at the facility for a maximum of 60 days in any 12-month period, and the facility cannot be used as residential, transient or short-term housing.
Under the agreement, the occupancy of the building will be phased, allowing up to 33 patients when it opens. After a year, the occupancy can be increased to 66, if the Select Board, in consultation with the Planning Board, determines the facility has complied with conditions and reporting.