Lakeville Hospital, also known as the Lakeville State Sanatorium, was a state-operated

sanatorium A sanatorium (from Latin '' sānāre'' 'to heal, make healthy'), also sanitarium or sanitorium, are antiquated names for specialised hospitals, for the treatment of specific diseases, related ailments and convalescence. Sanatoriums are often ...

Lakeville, Massachusetts Lakeville is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 11,523 at the 2020 census. History Native Americans inhabited southern Massachusetts for thousands of years prior to European colonization of the Americas ...

. The sanatorium opened its doors in 1910 for the treatment of those with

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. In the 1950s, following a decline in the number of tuberculosis cases, the sanatorium began treating patients with other crippling conditions. In 1963, the Lakeville State Sanatorium was renamed the Lakeville Hospital. Pursuant to recommendation by the Special Commission for the study of the Consolidation of State Facilities, the hospital was closed in 1993. The hospital and surrounding area is secured to prevent unauthorized entry.

Ownership by National Development

In 2002, the 73-acre hospital site, valued at $5.1 million, was purchased at auction. The owner planned and acquired permits for a large-scale mixed-use development which would include a Stop & Shop,

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Chili's Chili's Grill & Bar is an American casual dining restaurant chain. The company was founded by Larry Lavine in Texas in 1975 and is currently owned and operated by Brinker International. History Chili's first location, a converted postal statio ...

Restaurant, 100-unit senior housing complex, and office park. The project was terminated when the development team experienced difficulties securing water and sewer service to the site. Lakeville currently receives $52,000 annually in real estate taxes from the unoccupied property.

Proposed ownership by Sysco

In 2010 Sysco, one of the largest food service companies in the country, publicly expressed interest in relocating their

Norton Norton may refer to: Places Norton, meaning 'north settlement' in Old English, is a common place name. Places named Norton include: Canada *Rural Municipality of Norton No. 69, Saskatchewan *Norton Parish, New Brunswick **Norton, New Brunswick, a ...

-based

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

distribution center to Lakeville. The site of the former Lakeville Hospital was identified as a possible location, despite the fact the site was zoned for mixed-use and not industrial purposes. A special town meeting was held on June 6, 2010 to approve or reject tax increment financing (TIF) for Sysco. Lakeville voters approved the TIF proposal 396 to 140, enabling the proposed development of a $110 million 650,000 square-foot food distribution center to move forward. The TIF gave Sysco a 13-year progressively smaller

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, totaling 43 percent of its potential real estate tax liability. It also allowed Sysco to receive state tax breaks. In exchange, Lakeville would collect significant taxes over that period, including annual payments of $130,000 in excise taxes and $1 million over the next two years for permits necessary to do the project. Following the town's approval of the TIF, the planning board drafted a proposal for an Industrial Overlay District at the request of Sysco and the encouragement of the town counsel. The Industrial Overlay District was intended preserve underlying zoning districts and eliminate the need for Sysco to apply for zoning variances that, if granted, could be appealed. Public hearings on the matter of rezoning the site from mixed-use to industrial were held on September 14, 2010 and September 21, 2010. The town planning board, following these meetings, approved bringing the zoning change before voters at a special town meeting. A special town meeting was held on October 18, 2010, in which Sysco's proposals were defeated.

References

{{authority control Defunct hospitals in Massachusetts Lakeville, Massachusetts 1910 establishments in Massachusetts 1993 disestablishments in Massachusetts Hospitals established in 1910