Planning board signs off on proposal for rehab center in former college dorm in Manchester
Oct. 18—Plans presented by the owner of multiple sober homes across New Hampshire to open a 55-bed rehabilitation center inside a former New England College dormitory in downtown Manchester were approved unanimously Thursday night by the city's Planning Board.
The former Lowell Hall at 88 Lowell St., which includes an two-story brick school building dating back to 1841, has been for sale for $5.9 million since the college moved most of its programs to its campus in Henniker. A six-story addition was added in 2009 for classrooms and dorms.
The building, located not far from the Manchester School District's new Welcome Center at 148 Concord St., is still owned by the college.
Live Free Recovery Services went before the Planning Board seeking a change-of-use site plan review to convert the dormitory to a rehabilitation center. Part of the request included a reduction in the number of parking spaces required.
"I would say this location seems pretty good for what we're trying to solve, and what we're trying to work through in the city," said Matt Peterson of Keach Nordstrom Associates, who discussed the proposal with Planning Board members, alongside Live Free Recovery Services CEO Ryan Gagne.
According to its website, the mission of Live Free Recovery Services is to "help men and women recover from chronic drug and alcohol addiction."
The organization operates sober living homes in Keene and Manchester for both men and women, according to its website.
"We operate this level of care somewhere else in the state very effectively; this wouldn't be something that is hypothetical to us," Gagne said. "This is something that we already do, already have internal policies and procedures for, and understand some of the challenges."
The application details services the firm offers clients, including medically monitored inpatient withdrawal management short-term residential programs that help clients "reintegrate into society and the workforce with additional support."
"Clients will begin to explore job opportunities and spend time in the community as they process through treatments," the application states. "Clinical staff will help to prepare clients to become self-sufficient in the community."
More efficient
"This really fits with what he's (Ryan's) been looking for for a while," Peterson said. "I've talked to (Alderman) Pat Long about this stuff for a few years ... this is what this city needs. This is kind of the next step that nobody's been offering yet. We've done so many two-bedrooms, three-bedrooms and then you can't get in it. It's just an amazing program that he's kind of put together and I think it fits in the area that he's looking at.
"He's kind of spread out a little bit over the city; this is going to help him consolidate that."
Live Free Recovery Services previously hoped to convert the former Goodwin Funeral Home on Chestnut Street into a halfway house for up to 30 men. That proposal was tied up in court before the building was ultimately sold to the Granite State Children's Alliance in Bedford.
Building and site costs are estimated at $2 million, according to the application.
The proposed use is permitted in the C-1 Zoning District where the property is located.
"There is parking available along Lowell Street and Chestnut Street as well as other neighboring streets in the downtown area," the application reads.
Just one member of the public, the Rev. Ed Cardoza of nearby Grace Episcopal Church, spoke during a public hearing on the proposal, calling Live Free Recovery Services a "very well-run organization."
"An empty building is a dangerous building," Cardoza said. "Providing places for women is really critical. I'm really excited that we have a use for this building. Having it used and used well, a place that makes sense and with purpose that's really thought out I think is critical."
