McLean Hospital to go before Planning Board on May 24

Representatives from McLean Hospital will hold a meeting for neighborhood residents this Wednesday and will appear at a Planning Board meeting later this month to explain and answer questions about their controversial plan to house patients in a large house on Bypass Road.

Questions and protests arose after it became known that McLean had purchased abutting properties at 16-22 Bypass Road for the purpose of opening a nine-bed “nine bed educational therapeutic residence” for patients aged 15-21, similar to a facility for adults at 5 Old Cambridge Turnpike. Officials from McLean had a meeting with Director of Land Use and Planning Jennifer Burney to determine what steps they would have to go through with the town. They mad the case at that meeting that the facility was exempt from zoning rules relating to use of the property because it falls under the Dover Amendment, a state law that exempts educational and religious organizations, nonprofits and other uses from local bylaws.

Burney consulted Town Counsel Joel Bard on that matter so she could determine the proper course of action for McLean, she said Monday. In a May 2 letter to her, Bard said the proposal did indeed qualify as an educational facility. As a result, the Planning Board will hold a Determination of Minor Change to an Approved Site Plan, which means they will decide if there will be exterior changes to the property are indicated, such as an addition to the building or construction of more parking space, but will not address how the property will be used.

“It’s not like this is a done deal. I’m sure the Planning Board still has a lot of questions,” Burney said.

McLean originally planned to hold a neighborhood meeting in June, “but we reached out to them and suggested they do it much earlier,” she said.

The neighborhood meeting will be on Wednesday, May 18 from 6-7 p.m. at 22 Bypass Road. McLean will appear before the Planning Board on Tuesday, May 24 at 7:45 p.m. in the Town Office Building.