Fairview Recovery Developing New Plan for Binghamton Facility

An agency's proposal to open an addiction stabilization center in a Binghamton neighborhood is being revised after its initial plan was rejected by a city commission.

Fairview Recovery Services wants to relocate an existing downtown facility to its East Side campus.

The current center is located at 247 Court Street near North Shore Drive. The building is just east of the new Binghamton fire department headquarters complex that's now under construction.

Fairview executive director Patrick Haley said the agency has outgrown the existing facility, which he said is outdated. He said "half of it is underground, which is not conducive" in aiding a person who is recovering.

Haley said moving the center to the campus off Fairview Avenue makes sense from an operational standpoint, making it possible to share staff at that site. He said the change would "make it more affordable for the agency" and better for the patient.

Haley said the facility would not be a "crisis center" as some neighborhood residents have suggested. He said the center is a referral-based program, so people won't merely show up seeking assistance.

After the city planning commission failed to approve Fairview's initial site plan, Haley said "we decided to pull the project at this point" and prepare a new proposal.

The agency now is considering locating the stabilization center in the southwest corner of its campus. The original plan called for construction of the facility on the northeast corner of the property.

Haley said the proposed project would be fully funded by New York state. He said the original estimated cost for the move was just over $4 million. It's not yet known whether the revised project would be more expensive.

Haley said he hopes the agency may be able to submit a new plan to the city in the next month or two.

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Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com or (607) 545-2250. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.