There was an angry reaction from a packed council chambers as the Board of Adjustment cast its vote, clearing another hurdle for mental health treatment company Roaring Brook to move forward with a proposed clinic on Duke Road.
Critics raised concerns about safety, noting the proximity to residential and elementary and middle school properties. While Roaring Brook says the facility will treat individuals with primary mental health diagnoses, that could include substance abuse.
Concerned residents lined up to speak at the mic Monday.
"I do not think the right space for people with acute mental crises... belongs right within a stone's throw of children," one speaker said. "This is a tinderbox of massive problems that can happen."
Proponents argue the facility would provide care that's often not available in Lexington. Another speaker described her experience being treated at a Roaring Brook facility.
"I'm not a dangerous person. I was living in my own personal hell and they saved me from that. It might not be what the immediate surrounding community wants, but it's what... Lexington as a whole needs," she said.
The treatment company has assured residents that patients will not be admitted if they are a danger to others and they will not be allowed to walk the surrounding neighborhood.
Ultimately, the Board of Adjustment agreed to give its blessing to the 52-bed clinic.