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Plans for Mount Laurel rehab center canceled

Recovery Centers of America is pulling up stakes in Mount Laurel and now plans to acquire a facility in Atlantic County, an official said Monday.

Recovery Centers of America is pulling up stakes in Mount Laurel and now plans to acquire a facility in Atlantic County, an official said Monday.

Developer J. Brian O'Neill notified the Burlington County community late Monday that it was withdrawing its proposal, company lawyer Edmund Campbell Jr. said.

"It would have been a good location," Campbell said. "We think Mount Laurel is a good community."

Campbell said Recovery Centers expects to close a deal in about 10 days to acquire Lighthouse, a drug and alcohol treatment facility in Mays Landing with three outpatient centers. He would not disclose the terms.

Lighthouse is a 62-bed facility that treats adults and adolescents. It also has outpatient centers in Haddon Township, Ventnor, and Manahawkin.

Campbell said Recovery Centers was acquiring the facility because the owner-operator recently died. A Lighthouse administrator did not return a telephone message seeking comment.

Recovery Centers, based in King of Prussia, wants to create drug treatment facilities between Boston and Maryland. The centers would include boutique, hotel-like accommodations and inpatient and outpatient care.

In December, O'Neill announced that the company had secured a $231.5 million equity commitment from Deerfield Management Co. to build the network of addiction treatment centers.

Recovery Centers said it had acquired eight sites in the Northeastern United States and planned to open its first facility in May in Earleville, Md., with additional campuses expected to open next year in the Washington, Boston, and Philadelphia areas.

But O'Neill has encountered problems when such plans have been disclosed for drug recovery facilities in Haddonfield, Gloucester Township, and, most recently, Mount Laurel.

Local officials and residents typically agree that more drug treatment facilities are needed. They disagree on where they should be located.

His company had proposed building a 328-bed addiction treatment facility on a site near Union Mill and Ark Roads in Mount Laurel.

"This is not where I would put a drug treatment facility," said resident Jeffrey Heppard. "This is not a good place to put it."

The plan called for inpatient and outpatient treatment on a 14-acre site. It would have required approval from the Zoning Board of Adjustment.

It was unclear whether the zoning board would have granted the application or a variance at a meeting on Wednesday.

Township lawyer Tyler Prime said Monday that he was unaware of the decision by Recovery Centers to withdraw its application. Township Manager Maureen Mitchell did not respond to a request seeking comment.

Some residents opposed the proposal and started a petition drive. They contended that the site was not zoned for a hospital and the addition would have caused traffic jams.

Critics also said the site would not be ideally suited for a treatment facility because of its proximity to residential areas, a bar, and a pharmacy.

mburney@phillynews.com 856-779-3814 @mlburney