Chicopee council denies rezoning bids tied to proposed Willamansett addiction recovery sites

Three rezoning proposals that would have allowed addiction recovery or hospital-designated uses at properties in and near Willamansett failed to pass the Chicopee City Council on Aug. 5.

The council voted down separate motions to rezone 11 Saint Anthony Street (0.7775 acre), 0 Chicopee Street (0.284 acre) and a 0.9926-acre parcel on Chicopee Street that applicants said would align the parcels' zoning with proposed health- and recovery-related uses. Planning staff had recommended approval of the rezoning items; the council rejected them after a lengthy public-comment period and debate.

The rezoning proposals were tied in public remarks and council discussion to a plan to repurpose former nursing-home properties in Willamansett for addiction recovery services. Supporters on the council said they wanted to hear the developer's full proposal; opponents and many residents said the locations were inappropriate for the proposed uses.

"I would argue, respectfully, that voting for a rehab center to replace the Willamette Nursing Home is a good thing to instead consider that it would have a detrimental effect on the neighborhood," said Elaine Peterson, a resident who cited the city's 2040 plan and urged councilors to consider conversion standards that minimize neighborhood impact. Jim Orwat, who said his family has lived in Willamansett for more than a century, said he…