Hearing Set for Proposed Substance Abuse Services Living Facility in Old Delaware Inn

STAMFORD –The Village of Stamford Planning Board will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, March 11, 2026 at 6:30 p.m. at Village Hall to discuss the property at 56 Main Street (the old Delaware Inn) for use as a residential healthy living facility for adults with substance abuse.

At the January meeting of the village planning board, Colleen Pierson,  an attorney with a law firm in Albany, attended on behalf of Abraham Rubin for the purposes of a residential healthy living program as regulated by the state Office of Addiction Services and Support (OASAS). This requires a special use permit.

Previously, the building at 56 Main St. had been used as a veterans outreach center, known as the Catskill Area Veterans Center, which moved out in June of 2022. 

Dr. Abraham Rubin, of Passaic, NJ submitted a zoning permit application last December and village Code Enforcement Officer Rich Irwin advised a special use permit is required, thus a site plan review was needed. Dr. Rubin operates two other facilities in the state of Ohio

The application states the 16,000 square foot building will be used for a state-regulated residential healthy living program and withdrawal management program for adults with substance abuse disorders. Residents are admitted to the program following and in-depth admission process conducted by a qualified health professional pursuant to site regulation. The program will provide adults with services in accordance with a clinical treatment plan.

There are 20  bedrooms in the building and while the maximum number of residents is 60, the application states it is unlikely it will reach that capacity. In fact, states the application, the program will house residents based on state-approved capacity. All bedrooms are either double, triple or four-person occupancy rooms. All bedrooms have a private bathroom with a tub or shower. The program will use the existing large kitchen and dining room, as well as the five spacious living rooms, for the residents.

The application notes there is a new, up-to-date sprinkler system for safety and security. The residents will not have cars or visitors, but the facility will employ required staff who will utilize the current parking spaces. The dayshifts will include approximately 8 to 10 employees based on the number of residents and based on each days' schedule and need. The nightshift will have 4 to 6 employees mostly to monitor the residents. State regulations contain staffing requirements, which require sufficient staff to provide patients with a clean and safe environment. No additional parking spaces are needed or proposed.

According to the application, residents are not restricted from leaving the house, but there is a strict rule that if they do leave without a staff member with them, they can no longer be in the program. The only time a patient leaves the building will be with a staff member  to ensure they achieve healing and do not have outside substance contact. Also, the building will be secure and locked from the outside so everyone who comes in will have to pass through security.

No construction or alteration of the physical property, inside or out, is planned, The  application indicates the building was recently renovated to comply with all current standards. The proposed use will maintain the property the way it is to ensure compatibility and consistency with the traditional character and development of Main Street. The applicant provided answers to the checklist of items required for a site plan review application.

There is no proposed signage or change in current landscaping. They will install cameras on the outside of the building.

The less than on acre property is located in a commercial, mixed-use zone.

In their review, the village planning board learned:

Most of the residents are court ordered with an  average of 15 – 17 days.Part one is the detox time frame, part two is the counseling session. Both parts take place within the 15 to 17 days that the residents stay in the facility. People are assessed before they are admitted. If the residents have another need, for example a medical need such as dialysis, they can leave the facility with a facility staff member. It is a Medicaid facility. 

Pierson did not provide the name of the real estate agency involved when asked by the planning board.

The facility will provide jobs by hiring nurses, doctors and employees from the area. It will also be state regulated use of an empty building. "The applicant would like to be a good neighbor and is willing to have weekly and monthly calls to make sure all is going well,” according to the planning board meeting minutes. Facilities already operated by Dr. Rubin are  Surest Path Recovery Center with locations in Bloomville and Fremont, Ohio. There are other OASAS facilities in the state, but the applicant deems this area to be underserved. There is a list of facilities on the OASAS website. There are three outpatient facilities in Delaware County, located in Walton, Delhi and Sidney.

If someone gets kicked out because they leave without a staff member, they are escorted from the facility the same day by a facility member. 

There is 24 hour in house surveillance and someone at the front door. There is no access to the building without getting buzzed in, according to the minutes. 

Residents are assigned to the facility by a wide range of agencies and some people walk in off the street. In other cases a judge will mandate based on if they feel like someone might need it. They also advertise in hospitals and get referrals in outpatient facilities. 

It will take up to a year to get an operating license once all is approved by the village and a contract is signed. 

The next step is the public hearing and a final vote by the planning board. 

The building at 56 Main St. in Stamford, known as the former Delaware Inn, is the site of a withdrawal management facility for adults.