Politics & Government

Mental Health Center Applicant Withdraws Request [POLL]

David Palmer said Woodbury residents missed out on a golden opportunity.

 

A lack of privacy, fears for personal safety and taunts from residents of were just some of the experiences Woodbury residents relayed to the  .

Greenland Properties/David Palmer were on the agenda because Palmer hoped to become a new owner/tenant of a mental health and residential facility located at 's present location at 280 Middle Road Turnpike.

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After a June 12 public hearing in which Palmer discussed his plans and residents aired their concerns, the applicant decided to withdraw his application.

Palmer, the CEO of Greenland Properties, expressed his disappointment with the process and the residents' reactions.

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In a Monday, June 25, letter to the Zoning Commission, he said multiple people voicing their concerns without the opportunity for the applicant to address those concerns individually lacks sense and denies the applicant a fair opportunity to address the issues.

He recommended the Zoning Commission change the way the public voices their opinion in the future, by allowing the applicant to respond after each comment.

"That being said, I am disturbed by some of the residents of Woodbury having what I view as baseless and false characterizations of individuals with mental health and substance abuse issues," Palmer said in the letter. "Terms used during the meeting by Woodbury residents such as 'druggie,' 'mental freaks' etc. have no place in today's society."

Palmer said he feels Woodbury residents directed their anger toward Greenland Properties' proposal rather than the present occupant of 280 Middle Road Turnpike.

"Ironically, I could only find a few isolated complaints against Premier Care from several years ago with no apparent outcomes," he said.

A Lost Opportunity

In his letter, Palmer said Greenland Properties moving into the facility presented a positive situation for the town.

"Whether the residents of Woodbury realize it now or not, they have lost out on a golden opportunity to get a professional organization to effectively run a top notch program at 280 Middle Road Turnpike and benefit people living in Woodbury and surrounding towns."

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A list of Premier Care case incident reports from the Connecticut State Police, from 2007 until June 18, 2012, contained the following statistics of police activity at 280 Middle Road Turnpike.

  • Sex offense: 1 (August 30, 2007)
  • Larceny: 1 (November 19, 2007)
  • Alarms: 1 (June 3, 2009)
  • Missing person: (August 15, 2009)
  • Medical assists: 97
  • Assisting citizens: 17
  • Disturbances: 10
  • Suspicious incidences: 4
  • Assisting other agencies: 4
  • Traffic stops in front of property: 4
  • Untimely deaths: 3
  • Traffic accidents near property: 3
  • Patrol checks: 3
  • Administrative services: 3


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