Neighbors Appeal Dover Decision for Marist Property

Seven Framingham home owners near the Marist property are appealing the ruling of the Framingham Building Commissioner to allow Walden Behavioral Care of Waltham to construct a behavioral treatment and educational center, under the state's Dover amendment.

The Dover amendment allows applicants to avoid zoning restrictions, if they are a agricultural, religious or educational corporation.

Attorney Robert Cohen filed an official appeal of the Commissioner's ruling with the Framingham Town Clerk's office.

"The grounds for this appeal include, but are not limited to whether the applicant is a qualified, bona fide educational institute; whether the use of the property will be primarily or predominantly educational; or whether the activities to be conducted on the site will be primarily and/or predominantly commercial and medical in nature consisting of in-patient and out-patient medical care and treatment being provided by licensed medical professionals on a medical fee-generating basis for certain medical and psychiatric conditions with incidental educational components subordinate to the principal commercial and medical use,"  wrote the attorney in his appeal letter.

The seven home owners are:

• Robert and Marlene Bober, 449 Pleasant St.
• Christopher J. and Gayle Cassidy, 435 Pleasant St.
• Robert and Annabel Dodd, 46 Woodmere Road (Editor's Note: Robert Dodd is a elected Trustee for the Framingham Library)
• Mary Ellen Kelley, 271 Temple St. (Editor's Note: Kelley is the Town of Framingham's CFO)
• Lee and Rosanne Pellegrini, 588 Pleasant St.
• David E. and Kerrie A. McAllister, 410 Pleasant St.
• Michael Winders, 451 Pleasant St.

The first (non-Dover) plan called for a main building for inpatient care with 24 beds for patients with eating disorders, 24 beds for patients with mood disorders and offices for 20 Walden staff. Plus a smaller building with offices for human resources, finance, billing and accounting departments. Walden then planned to apply for a 16-bed residential two-story, 12,000-square-foot facility to treat adults who are obese or have binge-eating disorder, a 16-bed, 12,000-square-foot two-story residential facility for adolescents and a 10,000-square-foot, one-story building for program offices, and intake and aftercare services.

The new Dover plan includes the old plan plus construction of a Center for Research and Education.

A therapeutic and educational on-site program would allow adolescents and adults to learn strategies and techniques to fully recover from their disorders, wrote Walden's lawyers in the letter to the Town of Framingham.

While treatment will still be provided under the Walden Center plan, an emphasis will be placed on education and research.

“Even within the medical community, much needs to be learned about eating disorders, which affect about five percent of the population and a much larger percentage when you include individuals with weight management issues,” said Stuart Koman, who serves as President and CEO of both the Walden Center and Walden Behavioral Care in a press release.  “Our focus on education and research will, we hope lead to a greater understanding of eating disorders and a higher rate of recovery.”

Koman said Walden will continue to work with Framingham residents and town officials to address any concerns that have, adding, “We will be good neighbors.”

The non-profit Walden Center was created more than a year ago because of the need for greater education and research in the field of neurobehavioral disorders, such as eating disorders and mood disorders, Koman said.  Articles of organization for the nonprofit group were initially filed in 2002.

Koman said the project will maintain the natural setting of The Marist Center, with a significant amount of open space and an aesthetically attractive campus.  The project will also contribute to the local economy by adding new jobs, while providing a much needed service that previously was unavailable in Framingham.

Framingham Patch  was the first media outlet to reported of Walden's plans to come to Framingham and purchase and develop the Marist property.

Editor's Note: Originally published at 12:30 a.m. Updated with difference in two plans submitted - Dover vs non-Dover.