Planning Officials Push Methadone Clinic Discussion to October

The public hearing for a proposed methadone clinic in Peekskill is closed, but residents and interested parties have until the city Planning Commission’s meeting on Oct. 10 to submit comments about the controversial project .

Residents raised a number of health and safety concerns on The Renaissance Project’s proposal at a public hearing held during Tuesday’s city Planning Commission meeting. Issues residents had with the project, which would be located at 3 Corporate Dr., ranged from traffic to fear that property value might decrease.

Positive Directions for Peekskill, a community group that opposed the clinic, submitted a petition with more 800 signatures from people opposing the the project. Kim Izzarelli, the Republican opponent of Assemblywoman Sandy Galef, D-Ossining, in November's election, was also in attendance to show her support for Positive Directions for Peekskill. 

“We don’t want it in Peekskill,” George Ondek, a Peekskill resident, said during the hearing. “I’m telling you very strongly, the people of Peekskill don’t want a methadone clinic.”

Dan Doody, a Cortlandt Manor resident, said the site for the proposed methadone clinic is only two miles away from his home.

“In these times, the value of my house has gone down,” Doody said. “Putting a methadone clinic is not going to enhance the value of my home anytime soon.”

Brian Dyer is the co-owner Northbrook Contracting Corp., which is adjacent to the site of the proposed clinic. Dyer worried about the amount of traffic that would go through Corporate Drive on a daily basis if the clinic is built.

“It’s an uncontrolled intersection, it’s at the bottom of a hill, it’s in the middle of a horizontal curve, there are no signs...It’s the worse of all intersections,” Dyer said.

The proposal, which calls for the clinic to be moved into a building on 3 Corporate Drive, would combine the current methadone maintenance center and the Renaissance Project's outpatient therapy program, which currently run out of Peekskill's , into the one location. The Renaissance Project, which owns the property would renovate the building before moving in.

If approved, the facility could have as many as 275 clients, but those of clients wouldn’t all be in the facility at the same time, according Jeremy Doxsee, a planner for the city. The counseling would take place 6 a.m to 11 a.m., with administrative work taking place in the afternoon.

The Planning Commission initially approved the site plan in June, but Peekskill Mayor Mary Foster voided the plan because city planning officials failed to notify the Town of Cortlandt of proposal. Officials are required to notify the the because the proposal is within 500 feet of the Cortlandt border.

Because of this oversight, the commission was required to reopen the public hearing.

In a letter submitted to the commission on Tuesday, Cortlandt Supervisor Linda Puglisi asked planning officials to look into the impact the facility would have on a heavily traveled road, noise levels, the environment and nearby residential areas.

Puglisi also called on the commission to request a draft environmental impact statement from the Renaissance Project.

Robert Spolzino, a lawyer retained by the city’s Common Council, also sent a letter requesting that the planning commission extend the public commenting period.

The Planning Commission plans to discuss the proposal during Oct. 10 meeting.

Anyone who wants to submit a comment to the Planning Commission can do so emailing Anthony Ruggiero, Peekskill’s planning director, at aruggiero@cityofpeekskill.com.