Court date for Lynne Road group home postponed
The next court date for a group home for the mentally ill slated to open at 7 Lynne Road has been postponed to August 8.
On June 28, a civil court judge ruled that no one is to occupy the home except for Acushnet-based builder Jeff White, who owns the home, and his immediate family until the case could be heard on July 19.
The Plymouth County Superior Court ruling granted the Beaver Meadows Homeowners' Association, which covers cul-de-sacs Lynne Road and Bachant Way in Swifts Beach, a temporary restraining order against White.
Members of the homeowners' association are angry White did not get permission before renovating the home. They say the addition he put on the house broke the neighborhood's covenants.
Homeowners' association member Sean Murphy said he was told the court date needed to be postponed in order to provide White’s new legal representation an adequate amount of time to be briefed on the issue.
White has been renovating the home since purchasing it this spring. He plans to lease it to Rhode Island-based Fellowship Health Resources, Inc. Fellowship officials say they plan to open a six-bed "therapeutic respite program" for patients with mental illnesses and disorders. Patients will live at the home for anywhere from a week to 30 days.
Neighbors have steadfastly opposed the group home since learning about it several weeks ago, saying they are concerned for their safety and expressing frustration that no one notified them about the home sooner.
The home's garage was converted into additional living space. Three bedrooms, a living room, and a bathroom were added on to what was previously a three-bedroom ranch.
The group home was slated to open on July 1.