A member of the Lexington Board of Adjustment says he has been followed, spit on, and inundated with hateful voicemails in the week since he voted to approve a residential mental health clinic in Chevy Chase, according to reporting Sunday in the Lexington Herald-Leader.
Ross Boggess, a local developer and co-host of the DevelopLex podcast, told Herald-Leader government reporter Adrian Paul Bryant that his April 13 vote in favor of Roaring Brook Recovery’s proposed 52-bed facility at 319 Duke Road has triggered in-person confrontations at public parks and restaurants, as well as phone harassment at his workplace. Boggess said he filed a police report after one encounter hours after the vote.
Boggess was one of four board members who voted to issue the conditional use permit that allows Roaring Brook and development partner ZLD Partners to move forward at the Duke Road property. The Lexington Times previously reported the 4-2 vote drew boos and shouts of “see you in court” from a standing-room crowd of more than 260 residents.
Woodland Park confrontation
Boggess told the Herald-Leader the first incident occurred the night of the vote, when a man with his daughter approached him during a walk through Woodland Park and asked Boggess to explain to the child why she had to attend school next to addicts. Opponents of the clinic have repeatedly cited its proximity to Christ the King School, Cassidy Elementary, and Morton Middle School.
Boggess said the man grew aggressive and, when asked to identify himself, replied in a threatening tone that Boggess would “find out soon enough.” It is unclear whether the resulting police report has led to any action.
Days later, Boggess told the paper, someone spit on his shoes while he was waiting to meet a lunch guest on Romany Road. He said his work phone has received a steady stream of voicemails accusing him of disregarding the safety of children.
Conflict-of-interest allegations
Some social media posts since the vote have alleged Boggess had a conflict of interest because his DevelopLex co-host, Weston Lockhart, is a real estate advisor at SVN Stone Commercial Real Estate — the firm that listed 319 Duke Road for sale. Boggess told the Herald-Leader the podcast does not generate a profit and that he has no professional affiliation with SVN.
Boggess defended his vote on the merits of Roaring Brook’s track record and the building’s design, telling the paper the facility’s interior-facing entrances will limit any visible impact on the neighborhood and that he does not expect residents to notice a difference once it opens.
Every neighborhood has hurting and healing people in it, and no neighborhood is exempt from being a part of solving those problems.
Ross Boggess, Board of Adjustment member, to the Lexington Herald-Leader
Background
The 319 Duke Road building was originally developed as a 24-unit assisted living community and has cycled through several behavioral health operators in recent years. Roaring Brook has stated publicly that the facility will serve adults with primary mental health diagnoses and eating disorders, though opponents have focused on the possibility of substance use treatment at the site.
Read the full Herald-Leader report by Adrian Paul Bryant here.
