The Jaffrey Planning Board approved plans for a new location for Reality Check, a Jaffrey-based addiction recovery resource center, which will allow the nonprofit to move into the former Redeeming Grace church on Stratton Road.

Mary Drew, founder and CEO of Reality Check, received a variance from the town’s Zoning Board last week, allowing the commercial use in a residential area, and on Tuesday, received the final approvals from the Planning Board.

The church will not continue operating at that location, with Reality Check expected to purchase the building by the end of this month, according to Drew’s presentation to the Zoning Board last week.

Drew told the board that Reality Check does not provide residential or detox services, but provides support groups, prevention programming for schools, addiction training for employers, and training for addiction support coaches. It currently operates out of a smaller building on Turnpike Road, a short distance from their proposed new operations, which would be across the street from the Conant Middle/High School. Drew said the school is one of Reality Check’s partners in addiction prevention programming.

“The proximity will help us with providing direct services,” Drew said.

Planning Board member John Peard pointed out that despite providing different services from the church, many of the core uses of the building – offices and rooms for larger assemblies, and the use of counseling – will be the same.

One abutter attended the hearing to speak about concerns, which included the standing practice of students parking in the church lot, snow placement, water management due to habitual flooding in the neighborhood, drop in property values, and the proximity to the school when people may be attending support services.

Drew addressed some of the points, including that references to dropped property values were related to in-patient treatment facilities.

“That’s not us,” Drew said. “No one sleeps there.”

She said that she was aware that students sometimes parked in the lot, and that the church had issued parking permits to some students, and that she was in contact with the district’s superintendent about the issue. In previous meetings, Drew indicated that the business would need to have parking for staff and guests during the day.

Peard pointed out that the business has run for several years on Turnpike Road, already adjacent to residential homes, without any major issues.

Chair Amy Meyers added that there was a difference between “addicts” and “people in recovery” and that the majority of people who would be attending support groups would be in the latter category. Drew added that the majority of support groups would be in the evening, after the end of the school day and youth programs held at Reality Check.

Meyers said that while the town is aware of water issues in the neighborhood, it is a separate issue from the change of use for the church.

The board ruled that members were familiar enough with the site not to require a site walk, and moved into deliberation on Tuesday, after no other members of the public offered comment.

Prior to the vote to approve the plan, Peard re-iterated his previous sentiment that the activities proposed were similar in scope to those that had previously been going on there when the building was operating as a church.

The board approved the application unanimously.

The Jaffrey Planning Board is scheduled to meet next on June 11 at 6 p.m. at the town offices.

 

Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on X @AshleySaariMLT.