BATAVIA, Ohio — A bed and breakfast in Batavia could soon become a rehabilitation treatment facility. But a neighbor and village councilman opposes the idea.
A Milford-based company called The Ridge is in negotiations to buy The 1861 Inn on North Riverside Drive. The 1861 Inn sits off the road in the woods but not far from several homes.
Dr. Marc Whitsett, medical director with The Ridge, says the 1861 Inn is a prime location for a new treatment facility.
“It’s a beautiful facility. It has history behind it,” Whittsett said. “We have seven acres on the property to give us some distance.”
The Ridge plans to change the interior of the building and minimally alter the facade. As addiction continues to plague the Tri-State, Whitsett said this is a necessary expansion .
“I think we’re all in agreement that there’s a great need for people that are struggling with addiction to get help, and this is a residential program that will help some people get the kind of treatment that they deserve,” Whitsett said.
But a neighbor, Batavia Village Councilman Jason Garrison, worries about changing the feel of the neighborhood.
“I think it ruins what people expect their neighborhood to be,” Garrison said.
Garrison said residents have expressed concerns about safety.
“They’re concerned about what that looks like and what that means,” Garrison said.
The Village of Batavia’s mayor says The Ridge has not yet applied for a zoning variance. And Garrison hopes The Ridge will consider other locations.
“We’d be happy to look somewhere else in Batavia, but that’s just not the right spot deep in that neighborhood,” Garrison said.
This is still in its preliminary stages. Council will meet on Monday night to hear from the parties involved.
