The building, located at 319 Duke Road, was originally built as a nursing home but has since housed a behavioral health center. Another mental health group is seeking conditional use permission for the site.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A chorus of boos and jeers erupted Monday night after the Lexington Board of Adjustment voted 4-2 to approve a permit for an inpatient mental health clinic at 319 Duke Road in the Chevy Chase neighborhood.<\/p>\n [–><\/p>\n The vote allows Roaring Brook, a mental health and substance abuse treatment company, to take a step forward on a proposed clinic that would temporarily house patients with mental health disorders for treatment. Chevy Chase neighbors have starkly opposed to the project.<\/p>\n [–><\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re accountable for our children,\u201d \u201csee you in court,\u201d and \u201cwe the people\u201d were all shouted immediately following Monday\u2019s vote at the conclusion of the nearly six-hour meeting.<\/p>\n [–><\/p>\n Nearly 40 people gave public comment, the majority of whom were Chevy Chase residents outraged about the proposed clinic from Roaring Brook. There was a line out the door to get seating at the government center, wrapping around to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard bridge.<\/p>\n [–>[–><\/p>\n Roaring Brook has insisted the Duke Road facility will not be a drug treatment clinic, which several Monday speakers and a website alleged it would be.<\/p>\n [–><\/p>\n Roaring Brook applied, along with real estate company ZLD Partners, for a conditional-use permit for a \u201crehabilitation facility.\u201d That permit will allow the company to provide mental health treatment for patients, with a dedicated portion of 52 beds at the facility being reserved for those with eating disorders. Patients would stay an average of 45 to 60 days, Roaring Brook co-founder Victor Rivera said Monday.<\/p>\n [–><\/p>\n [–><\/p>\n Matthew Douglas, managing partner of ZLD Partners, said Monday some of the patients who stay at the facility will likely have a substance use disorder. But the patients admitted will be people who have a primary diagnosis of a mental health issue.<\/p>\n [–><\/p>\n While people struggling with mental health may additionally have a substance addiction, the mental health diagnosis is the principal focus of their treatment at the facility.<\/p>\n [–><\/p>\n Even so, plenty of residents said the mental health focus would be too dangerous for the neighborhood.<\/p>\n [–><\/p>\n \u201cWhat could happen if we have a facility like this in our area? You don\u2019t have to look any further than what happened just less than a year ago with the Rob Reiner family,\u201d Chevy Chase resident Steven Graham said, referencing the murder of the famous Hollywood director by his son.<\/p>\n [–><\/p>\n Nick Reiner, accused of the murders of his mother and father, had previously been open about his struggles with addiction. He also had been in a mental health conservatorship, according to the New York Times.<\/p>\n [–><\/p>\n [–><\/p>\n A recurring argument against the Chevy Chase facility is its proximity to Christ the King School, Cassidy Elementary and Morton Middle schools. Opponents fear it would endanger children.<\/p>\n [–><\/p>\n Ann Bruggeman, principal of Christ the King School, located a half block away from the facility, said most violent attacks against schools are committed by people with mental health issues.<\/p>\n [–><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not worried about all 52 people at this facility,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m worried about the one who has a bad day, the one that leaves even though the doors are locked \u2026 no one can prove to me that this is not a safety issue for the schools in the area.\u201d<\/p>\n [–><\/p>\n There were a few speakers in support of the project, most employees or former patients of Roaring Brook\u2019s other facilities.<\/p>\n [–><\/p>\n In a particularly heated moment, NAMI advocacy director Kelly Gunning said much of the violence against children in the U.S. happens in churches and schools \u2014 the places neighbors fear could be most affected by the clinic.<\/p>\n [–><\/p>\n \u201cMost child abuse occurs from people in those settings, many times that we trust with our children \u2014 a coach, a teacher,\u201d Gunning said. \u201cThose are people that are hurting our children, too.\u201d<\/p>\n [–><\/p>\n Gunning also raised issue about historical abuses of children in the Catholic church, which caused other attendees to shout and ask the board to remove her from the meeting.<\/p>\n [–><\/p>\n [–><\/p>\n Advocates for the facility focused on how it would have been a great support for them on their journey \u2014 especially because patients are often sent out of state for the type of care Roaring Brook would provide in Lexington.<\/p>\n [–><\/p>\n Kian Johnson has struggled with an eating disorder since he was 12. In 2020, he spent time at a care facility in Florida, where he improved. But after moving back home to Lexington, which had no major resources, he began to struggle again.<\/p>\n [–><\/p>\n \u201cWhen I heard there could finally be a residential program opening in Lexington \u2014 Kentucky\u2019s first and only \u2014 I felt so much hope,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cI may one day die from this disorder. Saying yes to this will provide access to the treatment that can save my life and the lives of so many of these people who just want to find healing.\u201d<\/p>\n [–><\/p>\n Douglas said much of the motivation behind the project was to provide care that was either extremely limited or not at all existent in Kentucky.<\/p>\n [–><\/p>\n But Jessica Winters, an attorney representing the Chevy Chase neighborhood, argued there are enough facilities like Roaring Brook in Lexington.<\/p>\n [–><\/p>\n \u201cLexington has at least 47 mental health and drug and alcohol treatment facilities \u2026 (Roaring Brook) has offered no evidence of unmet need,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n [–><\/p>\n Winters also suggested the facility could increase crime rates in the neighborhood. She displayed a map during the meeting Monday along Alexandria Drive near an existing substance abuse clinic, showing several instances of crime in the direct vicinity.<\/p>\n [–><\/p>\n Roaring Brook has said patients in the facility will be screened and will not be admitted if they are a danger to others or themselves, nor will they be admitted if they are psychologically unstable. Patients will not be permitted to leave the property to walk around the neighborhood.<\/p>\n [–><\/p>\n Patients will not even check in or check out of the facility directly, the company has said. They will be picked up at another Roaring Brook facility on Perimeter Drive and driven to Duke Road.<\/p>\n [–><\/p>\n Bruce Simpson, an attorney representing Roaring Brook who has spoken publicly about his suicide attempt and subsequent treatment, said many of the neighbors\u2019 concerns were driven by fear and intolerance that keep people who need treatment in the shadows.<\/p>\n [–><\/p>\n \u201cThe people that need these services, who are suffering in silence right now, aren\u2019t coming (to city hall),\u201d he said. \u201cAnd they won\u2019t come down here because they if they watch on TV, they will see the passionate opposition that says \u2018you\u2019re not worthy to live in our neighborhood.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n [–><\/p>\n Some argued more appropriate locations would be in commercial, office or industrial zones. But Roaring Brook employee Keith Rapp said a residential area is the proper location for the facility.<\/p>\n [–><\/p>\n \u201cIf you put me into a place that is more industrial, I am going to feel like a caged animal,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you put me in a place where I get to get outside, see the backyard, see the sun, do some exercise \u2026 that\u2019s the place that people like me who suffer need.<\/p>\n [–><\/p>\n \u201cIs it a great area for us? It\u2019s a perfect area for us, because I am not the only person that knows that there are people in the Chevy Chase neighborhood who suffer from mental health disorders, as well as drug and alcohol abuse.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This story was first published April 14, 2026, 7:37 AM.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adrian Paul Bryant<\/p>\n <\/p>\n lexington herald leader<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p><\/div>\n Adrian Paul Bryant is the Lexington government reporter for the Herald-Leader. He joined the paper in November 2025 after four years covering Lexington local government at CivicLex. Adrian is a Jackson County native, lifelong Kentuckian, and proud Lexingtonian.<\/span>\n <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n #controversy #Lexington #city #board #approves #Chevy #Chase #mental #health #clinic<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The building, located at 319 Duke Road, was originally built as a nursing home but has since housed a behavioral health center. Another mental health group is seeking conditional use permission for the site. Linda Blackford A chorus of boos and jeers erupted Monday night after the Lexington Board of Adjustment voted 4-2 to approve … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":495,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[632,631,634,633,64,70,629,173,630,611],"class_list":["post-494","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-approves","tag-board","tag-chase","tag-chevy","tag-city","tag-clinic","tag-controversy","tag-health","tag-lexington","tag-mental"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chuvla.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/494","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chuvla.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chuvla.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chuvla.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chuvla.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=494"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chuvla.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/494\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chuvla.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/495"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chuvla.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=494"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chuvla.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=494"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chuvla.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=494"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"The](\"https:\/\/chuvla.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/After-controversy-Lexington-city-board-approves-Chevy-Chase-mental-health.jpeg\" "\\"The")
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\n Linda Blackford
\n <\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\nResidents take issue with safety<\/h2>\n
Christ the King\u2019s principal opposes the facility<\/h2>\n
New facility in Lexington would bring \u2018so much hope\u2019<\/h2>\n
![\"Adrian](\"https:\/\/chuvla.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/After-controversy-Lexington-city-board-approves-Chevy-Chase-mental-health.jpg\")
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