Facility for drug detox proposed for Monroe County

Called “The Haven,” the for-profit center would use the office building on Ellis Road, on the east side of Ind. 37, to house 60 people recovering from drug addiction. Most patients would stay at the facility from seven to 15 days under the direction of licensed medical professionals; the center anticipates hiring 55 people. 

Indiana Center for Recovery LLC President Kirill Vesselov has petitioned the Monroe County Board of Zoning Appeals to allow the building to be used as a hospital, which is prohibited under the current zoning. What is allowed includes telecommunication services, K-12 and post-secondary educational uses, waste collection services and utilities, wastewater and water treatment facilities. 

County planning staff recommend denying the request due to what it asserts would be a “substantially adverse” impact on the use and value of adjacent property. The denial recommendation also points to the proposal’s deviance from the Monroe County Comprehensive Plan, which lists that area’s intended use as rural residential.