Bluffdale residents leery of drug-treatment center

BLUFFDALE — Soon-to-be neighbors of a residential drug-treatment center in this southwest Salt Lake County city are worried and surprised by its impending arrival.

Renaissance Ranch, a drug- and alcohol-treatment center that caters to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is moving its operations from Park City to Bluffdale.

A $1 million home on the 3-acre lot at 2829 W. 13800 South has been undergoing renovations for several weeks and is expected to open its doors as Renaissance Ranch on May 15.

Neighbors weren't aware until about two weeks ago that crews were preparing the home to become a drug-treatment center, said Bluffdale resident Dawn Johnson.

"We don't want it in our neighborhood," Johnson said.

A city meeting during which residents can ask questions of Renaissance Ranch officials and share their concerns about the facility is set for 7 p.m. Monday at Bluffdale Elementary, 14323 S. 2700 West.

A major concern for neighbors, Johnson said, is the facility's close proximity to North Star Academy, a charter school at 2920 W. 14010 South.

"The school is only 380 feet from it," she said. "My kids walk to school, and they'll have to walk past this place."

Johnson said she expressed her concerns to city officials and was told they weren't aware of a drug-treatment center coming to the city.

Councilwoman Nancy Lord said the City Council also was in the dark about the facility's plans until last Monday, when residents brought it to city leaders' attention.

"(Residents) are very concerned about it, and the City Council is concerned, too," Lord said.

But there really isn't anything the City Council can do. Residential drug- and alcohol-treatment centers are permitted uses under state law, and H.R. Brown, a partner in Renaissance Ranch, properly completed the city's business-licensing process.

Cities are able to adopt an ordinance to set restrictions on where such a facility can locate, such as not within 500 feet of a school. Cities also can also make security requirements and intensify the permitting process.

But Bluffdale's ordinance doesn't include any of those safeguards, Lord said. The City Council has plans to adopt such an ordinance, but it's likely too late to apply to Renaissance Ranch, she said.