Bicknell hearing covers proposed Wayne County Community Health Center; neighbors raise lighting, parking and flooding concerns

The Bicknell Planning and Zoning Commission on Nov. 19 held a public hearing on a conditional use permit for the Wayne County Community Health Center, where neighbors and staff focused on exterior lighting, parking capacity and site drainage.

The applicant, identified in the record as Speaker 3, told the commission that neighbors had been kept informed and that a direct next-door neighbor (Eric) sent a letter and text saying he was "fine" with the plans. On the matter of lighting, Speaker 3 said, "the lighting will be minimal," adding the project would use a small number of fixtures oriented away from neighboring yards and "just a couple of sconces like the pharmacy has in front of it right now on the west side of the building." Speaker 3 also stated, "we're not gonna put any street lights in or lamps or anything like that."

Town planning staff (Speaker 2) summarized the concerns raised by the town and residents as parking and flooding. In response, Speaker 3 described a drainage and grading approach: the front of the building would be raised (the applicant said they would not raise the entire property), gutters and underground drains would divert roof runoff to the rear of the lot, and sidewalks would retain the existing slope so water could still flow down the sides of the lot. Speaker 3 explained existing water intrusion has, at times, reached the house on the property and said the work is intended to control that flow.

The applicant provided preliminary dimensional and parking estimates but emphasized several items were pending survey verification. Speaker 3 said they measured roughly 49 feet from the edge of the street to the front of the house but noted the formal survey had not been completed; Speaker 2 clarified that the 24-foot setback requirement is measured from the property line, not the street. Based on the applicant's current measurements, they estimated room for about five parking spaces in front, including one accessible stall, but said the final layout would depend on the survey and stakeout.

On operations and interior layout, Speaker 3 said the clinic would house two practitioners (therapist schedules would be part-time) and include a shared common room for group sessions and staff training usable by the broader clinic. The basement is planned to house utilities and remain unfinished initially; Speaker 3 said the downstairs board room could be used for board meetings until the basement is completed.

The applicant also described design choices intended to match and modernize the existing clinic: a short brick base (about 3.5 feet) with stucco above and a low-profile or flat roof so the structure would not appear two stories from the street. Speaker 3 cited the existing clinic's expansion history, saying it grew from an estimated 1,500 square feet to about 11,000 square feet after additions including a pharmacy.

Regarding schedule, Speaker 3 said they were talking with three architects and hoped to select one by the end of the week; earlier work required restarting architect selection and had delayed the schedule by about six weeks. The applicant said the plan was to get plans to bid as soon as practicable and aimed for a construction start in "late winter," while acknowledging seasonal uncertainty.

Planning staff relayed that town council contact (named Noreen in the record) asked staff to follow up on parking and flooding, and Speaker 3 affirmed they would coordinate on those issues. The public hearing concluded with no vote recorded in this transcript.

The commission's record in the transcript does not include a final decision on the permit; the matter will proceed through the commission's normal review process and any formal action will be recorded in subsequent minutes.