Sources: State Approved Sheppard Pratt's Ruxton Group Home

The Maryland Office of Health Care Quality has approved the  for controversial Ruxton group home, sources familiar with the situation have told Patch.

Community leaders were notified of the decision late last month, said Peggy Squitieri, executive director of the Riderwood-Ruxton-Lake Roland Area Improvement Association.

Bonnie Katz, Sheppard Pratt's vice president of marketing and public affairs, and an official with the state Office of Health Care Quality, did not return calls seeking comment Thursday afternoon.

Some  about increased traffic and parking issues, and feel that Sheppard Pratt should build a residential facility on its 100-acre campus instead.

In an interview last month, Bill Dorrill, deputy director for the Office of Health Care Quality, said that the hospital's application would be approved as long as Sheppard Pratt followed all applicable laws. , the federal Fair Housing Act limits the weight a state agency can give to public objections when considering the type of facility Sheppard Pratt intends to establish.

The Towson hospital . Sheppard Pratt plans to use it to house up to eight patients who have completed their treatment in Sheppard Pratt's on-campus Retreat facility.

The home will mostly house low-risk patients suffering from depression and anxiety, the hospital has said. The group home, where treatment would cost about $600 per patient per day, would be staffed around-the-clock, and residents who violate the home's rules can be removed.

The home has been a contentious issue among neighbors who have responded with protests, both online and in the form of signs and banners that line Labelle Avenue. In one post on the Facebook page late last week, neighbors unhappy with the group home plan appear to threaten legal action against Sheppard Pratt.

Bryan P. Sears contributed to this report. Stay with Patch for more, and keep tabs with us on Facebook and Twitter.