MIDDLEBORO — The Zoning Board unanimously agreed to halt plans for a facility on 332 Marion Road that would house people who were formerly incarcerated, aged out of foster care or facing housing insecurity.

At their Aug. 24 meeting, board members voted to uphold the decision of Building Commissioner Robert Whalen that the project does not justify a permit under the Dover Amendment, a state law that exempts properties designated for educational purposes, among other uses, from certain zoning regulations. The area where the building is located is zoned rural-residential, Town Planner Leeann Bradley said, which would require an exemption for the project to move forward. 

Advocates of the project, MJ Operations LLC and Ascension Career Training, argued that the site would support life skills training for its residents and so would be used for educational purposes.

Zoning Board members, both at the Aug. 24 meeting and previously, questioned the specific education being offered and how it would be done at the rural location.

Board member Liz Elgosian noted that the building was located “quite far from any center of business or transportation.’’ How would residents learn life skills, she asked, “when they’re sitting out in the middle of the country.’’

Attorney Jonathan D. Whitten, representing the town, said that while there may be an educational component to the project, “the primary use of the property is residential,’’ which would not qualify for a Dover Amendment exemption. 

At a previous meeting, Whalen said the project does not fit the designation and noted that, in his inspection, he observed “wall to wall bunk beds’’ and no evidence of classrooms. “The place consisted of … bathrooms and bedrooms.’’

Meredith Ruff, who owns the building with Jason McLeod, said that areas of the building would be transformed from eating quarters to classroom venues during the day and that there is additional space upstairs for more learning space. 

The proposed use of the building has been controversial since its inception, with neighbors raising concerns about the impact on their property values and the safety of the area when residents move in.

Ruff said she had no immediate comment after the decision was announced.