Board wants say in OK of rehab centers

Town Meeting will soon wade into the swirling controversy over whether there are too many homeless shelters, drug rehabilitation centers, and other social-service programs in Framingham.

The Board of Selectmen, in response to an outcry from some neighbors of the programs, has asked Town Meeting to consider giving town officials more input when new programs are planned.

The proposal would give the Planning Board a more ''encompassing" review of a social-service agency's plans, said Sue Bernstein, a Planning Board member who supports the Town Meeting measure.

''It at least opens the door for more discussion," allowing a dialogue between residents and the agency, she said.

Over the past few months, some residents have argued that the town provides far more social services than other area communities and is unduly burdened as a result. Some say the town is becoming a magnet for the poor, drug addicts, and criminals. Social-service agency staffers argue that the town should support their good work, helping people who are struggling to improve their lives.

The loudest recent protest from neighbors occurred when a major agency purchased a Winter Street nursing home for use as a residential program for recovering drug addicts and their families.

The agencies, stating that their programs are religious or educational, have claimed exemptions from the usual town scrutiny under a state law known as the Dover Amendment. Some of the programs are run by groups with religious affiliations. A number of the programs have an educational component, such as job training.

The measure to be considered by Town Meeting would eliminate a local bylaw that currently limits review of the proposals to the town's building commissioner, allowing the Planning Board to also play a role.

Because of the Dover Amendment, however, the review would still be more limited than that afforded to commercial projects. For example, the town would be able to look at items such as building height and parking but would not be able to review the impact on traffic. And based on past court rulings, it would be nearly impossible for the board to reject a project.

Around Winter Street, residents have been putting up signs that state: ''Enough is Enough." Bernstein said she sympathizes with their frustration.

''I think it's very much akin to affordable housing," she said. ''The facilities are definitely needed, but it's a matter of each community stepping up to the plate and doing their fair share."

What may be even more telling is that the Board of Selectmen, which has generally been supportive of social-service programs in recent years, is pushing for the town to have more authority over them.

''I think it is important as we approach build-out [the point where the town would be completely developed] that we have more control over projects," said Katie Murphy, the chairwoman of the selectmen. . ''I hope it does make neighbors understand that we're going to do anything in our power to work with them, which may be limited."

Planning Board review might have been helpful, she said, with the recent Wayside Youth and Family Support Network project, a residential program for teenagers with emotional and behavioral problems. Some in the adjacent neighborhood on Lockland Avenue have said they're worried about having troubled youths next door.

''That really is cheek by jowl with a neighborhood, a quiet neighborhood of small houses," Murphy said.

Because that project already has a building permit, it is not expected to be affected by any changes Town Meeting makes. It's not clear whether the same would hold true for the South Middlesex Opportunity Council's Winter Street program.

Jerry Desilets, SMOC's planning director, said he is unconcerned about the additional layer of review because the Winter Street project would still be protected by the Dover Amendment.

''There's a freedom-of-speech issue here, and if people want to go to a public hearing and raise concerns, that's the American way," Desilets said. ''We would certainly hope that any such public presentation would be a respectful one. Adding an additional hearing is not going to affect us one way or another. [In the] next couple of months, we'll be up and running there."

Residents in the Winter Street area have formed a group called Stop Tax Exempt Private Property Sprawl, or STEPPS, to fight SMOC. Members of the group are supporting the Town Meeting measure. ''It's not a fix, but we feel it's a step in the right direction," said Janice Skelley, a member of STEPPS, adding that the group is not trying to drive out existing programs, but rather limit future ones. ''We're trying to work with the selectmen to establish some kind of process where we could have some kind of cap on these or at least examine them more closely."

Town Meeting is scheduled for Aug. 3. A Planning Board hearing is to be held on the proposed change on July 28.

Lisa Kocian can be reached at 508-820-4231 or by e-mail at lkocian@globe.com.