LOWELL – The site plan for a facility at 10 Technology Drive that will be the base of operations for the Restoration Center, an ambitious, first-of-its-kind program in Massachusetts, was approved by the Planning Board during its meeting Monday night.
Vinfen, a non-profit behavioral health nonprofit, is collaborating with Spectrum Health Systems on an innovative diversion program designed to provide an alternative to emergency rooms and incarceration for individuals with mental illness and substance use disabilities. The nonprofit partners hope to open the new facility in fall 2025.
In a joint statement released via email Tuesday, Vinfen and Spectrum said the nonprofits greatly appreciated the opportunity to address the board and remain “committed to moving this important project forward.”
“City approvals are important milestones in making the Restoration Center and enhanced drug treatment a reality for Lowell,” the statement said. “This project addresses a significant unmet need, with nearly twice the national average number of individuals seeking substance abuse treatment in Lowell.”
According to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Lowell sees nearly twice as many people as average for substance use across all settings. Current emergency room visits at Lowell General Hospital for substance use are 147 times the national average.
Through a request for proposals in 2023, the state selected Vinfen as the provider for the restoration center and Lowell as the location.
The hearing was relatively straightforward as only the site plan and not the purpose of the facility was reviewed. Site plans address issues of trash storage and disposal, snow services, parking, landscaping and access.
The two-story, 32,000-square-foot building sits on nearly 6 acres in the Office Park development on Wood Street, just before the North Chelmsford Line.
The applicants intend to convert the use of the building into a medical and advisory educational offering. Building Commissioner Dave Fuller said the center's use as a 24-hour residential facility is permitted by law under Lowell's zoning ordinance and does not require approval from the zoning board.
In 2018, a “Criminal Justice Reform Act” was passed and the Middlesex County Restoration Center Commission was created. The commission was co-chaired by Middlesex Sheriff Peter Koutoujian and Danna Mauch, president and CEO of the Massachusetts Association for Mental Health. It consisted of representatives from the state legislature, the behavioral health provider community, attorneys, police, courts, and state health agencies.
The commission based its idea for a treatment center on programs that already exist in Texas, Arizona and Michigan. At a commission meeting in September 2022, Koutoujian described the center as “a long time coming.”
“For far too long, law enforcement has had to bear the burden of crisis response in the Commonwealth,” he said. “It’s time we shift the responsibility back where it belongs: on behavioral health providers.”
During their stay at the Restoration Center, individuals participate in various educational, rehabilitation and therapy programs designed to enable them to integrate into society and achieve their life goals.
Worcester-based Spectrum Health Systems has been providing services to people with substance use disabilities for over 55 years. The company currently operates outpatient facilities in 14 cities and towns across the Commonwealth.
The recovery center will provide 24-hour, year-round urgent walk-in access and drop-off by police and other first responders. It will open with 10 beds for stays of less than 24 hours and 10 beds for short-term stays with a maximum duration of approximately 14 to 30 days.
Planning Board Vice Chairman Gerard Frechette asked about safety protocols on site and considerations “also for community safety.”
He mentioned a homeless encampment behind the site, a cannabis store within walking distance on Wood Street and the question of whether the center's customers will be able to “leave the site on foot.”
Kristin Nolan, Spectrum's chief behavioral health officer, said the hope is that “the facility will assist with these camps and engage people in treatment with mental health and substance use disorder services.”
The facility is not a psychiatric hospital and does not have locked doors, but Kim Shellenberger, Vinfen's chief strategy officer, said the site will have 24-hour security, 24-hour staffing, secure access, motion lights and more.
“We are very adept at dealing with people,” she said. “As part of the restoration center we are developing, we are working very closely with police to create safe drop-off points within the center.”
The board attached conditions to its approval of the site plan regarding landscaping, transportation and stormwater management, but agreed it was a beneficial use of the property. Construction of the building's interior has already begun.
“By collaborating with law enforcement, city officials and other key partners, the Restoration Center will serve as an essential alternative to the justice system and emergency rooms, ensuring that those who need help are cared for in the most appropriate and effective setting,” said Vinfen/ Spectrum statement said.