A group home for the mentally ill slated to open on a cul-de-sac off of Swifts Beach Road has neighbors concerned for their safety and frustrated at the lack of information shared with them about the project.

"This is the worst possible thing that could ever happen to us in here," said Lynne Road resident Jane Bracchi, who lives next door to the home, located in the Beaver Meadows subdivision.

The home, located at 7 Lynne Road, is being renovated by Acushnet-based builder Jeff White and will be leased to 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.

There were no public meetings held to notify residents about the home, which is scheduled to open in the coming weeks, possibly as early as July 1. An exact date for the opening could not be confirmed.

Myles Burke, Director of Inspectional Services, says that though the home is zoned as a single-family residence, it is exempt from regulations because it will be "licensed or operated by the [state] Department of Retardation," now called the Department of Developmental Services.

"This is something that falls under the state licensure, which ties our hands a little bit with respect to zoning regulation and gives them an exemption to the rules," Burke said.

Adding to the confusion for neighbors, Fellowship officials say they only deal with the state Department of Mental Health, which is a separate from the Department of Developmental Services.

"We service all adults with major mental health issues that have been deemed eligible for services from the Department of Mental Health," said Denise Silvia, Fall River regional director for Fellowship Health Resources. "It's strictly the Department of Mental Health. We're a vendor with them."

Burke says the Department of Mental Health, because it is a state agency, is also exempt. "From this point right now, it's a building project. They meet the [zoning and building] setbacks," he said.

Members of the Board of Selectmen also expressed frustration with the project and the exemption process.

"The state feels, through legislation, that they can just put these [homes] where ever they want," said Selectman Steve Holmes, adding that he first heard about the home through an angry resident. "There's got to be a better way to do this. ... I'm not against the treatment facility. It's about this process [and] lack of public information."

Beaver Meadows consists of just over 20 homes on two cul-de-sacs - Lynne Road and Bachant Way. Residents say they're worried about the program being located in their small neighborhood.

"The most concerning part clearly is the safety of my children and I do feel that I'm going to be at risk. I do feel that everyone in the neighborhood is going to be at risk," said Lynne Road resident Lori Murphy, who has 2-year-old and 5-year-old children.

Fellowship Health Resources representatives pointed out that the agency has been in operation for more than 30 years and that safety was a top priority. They indicated that they would be working to ease neighbors' worries.

The program's goal is to "get people as independent as possible as they're transitioning to a permanent living situation," Silvia said.

Residents are upset that they weren't notified about the home sooner.

"Any information that I've gotten is because I've gone after it," said Murphy. "If this is such a wonderful program and we have no need to worry about this, why wouldn't they have met with us ahead of time?"

Residents are also angry that the builder, White, did not get permission from the Beaver Meadows Homeowners' Association before renovating the home. They say the addition he put on the house broke the development's covenants.

"[He] blatantly broke covenants," Bracchi said. "If he tried to go for permission from the homeowners' association, he wouldn't have gotten it, and there would be no group home."

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.

White did not respond to requests for comment.

The addition "took away my privacy," said Bracchi. The window in the garage now directly overlooks the fence and the deck in Bracchi's back yard. An electronic "exit" sign could be easily seen through the window from Bracchi's deck. "It was the only place in my yard where I had privacy. I now have a double window overlooking a six-foot fence."

Neighbors have asked the town to order White to cease and desist building, but Burke says that the town cannot enforce neighborhood covenants.

"Right now there's nothing in the code that would allow us to stop the project as permitted unless [the builders] lied on their permit, which they didn't, ... or they're doing things outside the permit," Burke said, saying it would be a civil matter.

A meeting regarding the home was held June 2. Representatives from the town, Fellowship Health Resources, the Department of Mental Health, and the Beaver Meadows and Swifts Beach neighborhood associations were present.

Town Administrator Mark Andrews said additional meetings would be held to address the concerns of residents.

But neighbors say that's little consolation.

"They couldn't have picked a worse location. It's just a scary situation," said Murphy. "I probably am not going to be staying here. I don't know how I'm going to get rid of my house."