Torrington planners continue public hearing on McCall Foundation request for group care facility at 25 Hotchkiss Place

The Torrington Planning and Zoning Commission continued a public hearing to June 11, 2025, on a special exception application from McCall Foundation to operate a group care facility at 25 Hotchkiss Place.

Martin Connor, AICP, representing the applicant, told the commission the proposal would allow clinical and counseling services to be provided inside the house and that McCall does not plan exterior renovations other than a handicap parking space near the entrance. "This property is more than double the size of the properties in the zone," Connor said, and McCall has owned the house for more than 20 years.

The proposed program will require licensing from the Connecticut Department of Public Health, which Connor and Joy Pandola, identified as McCall's chief clinical officer, said limits capacity by square-footage requirements. "This will reduce the 13 bed capacity to 11 bed capacity with this change," Pandola said. She said the program is a late-stage residential recovery program, staffed 24/7, and that the facility will have a minimum of two staff on duty per shift.

Neighbors spoke both for and against the application during the hearing. Supporters said McCall has rehabilitated similar properties and provided services that help residents reintegrate. "McCall has done great things in Torrington," said Alan Borghese, a longtime resident. Dana Coelho, a board member who said Central Naugatuck Valley HELP merged with McCall two years ago, expressed support for the proposal.

Several neighbors urged denial or expressed concern about neighborhood impacts. Nella Stoltz, who said she lives at 37 Hotchkiss Place, described repeated incidents she attributed to the house, including a resident allegedly staring into her home and alleged connections between a resident and a local overdose; she said those experiences made her feel unsafe. Other residents described on-street parking, trash and cigarette litter, late-night noise and multiple police responses near the property.

Connor and Pandola responded to neighbor concerns by describing McCall's incident tracking and responsiveness. "We track every incident in our facilities," Pandola said. She added that the facility's most recent police response directly related to a client was more than a year ago and that the proposed program will have a different referral base and a higher level of clinical oversight than some previous iterations: "We're actually decreasing the amount of beds at this program and it's a different program. Folks will not be coming from the Department of Corrections. They will be coming from other treatment facilities."

Commissioners asked detailed questions about staffing, shifts, transportation and program operations. Pandola said residents at this level of care generally do not have personal vehicles and that programming and visits would be limited to the facility's residents and their approved visitors. She said the average length of stay is about three months.

No final decision was taken. Chair Greg Meeley said the commission would continue the public hearing to June 11, 2025, to allow staff to incorporate comments and produce a memo. The commission also noted written submissions from multiple neighbors were added to the record during the meeting.

Why it matters: The commission must balance state licensing rules, neighborhood impacts and the city's zoning standards as it considers whether to grant a special exception for a residential treatment program in a small residential neighborhood. The hearing drew substantial turnout, with detailed factual claims from both neighbors and the applicant about program operations, past incidents and mitigation measures.

The hearing will reconvene June 11, 2025, at the City Hall Auditorium, Room 218. The record includes written statements submitted by neighbors and testimony from McCall Foundation staff and multiple residents.