Treatment center opposed

BLUFFDALE — New neighbors are moving into this southwest Salt Lake County city, and some existing residents aren't happy about it.

Renaissance Ranch owner H.R. Brown spent about three hours Monday night answering questions and addressing concerns from Bluffdale residents about the drug- and alcohol-treatment center scheduled to open next week at 2829 W. 13800 South.

About 250 Bluffdale residents attended a town meeting on the facility, and nearly all who spoke opposed its location.

Neighbors said they don't want a drug-treatment center in a residential neighborhood, and parents of students who attend North Star Academy are concerned about its close proximity to the charter school at 2920 W. 14010 South. One resident, whose children attend the school, said only 380 feet separate the two properties.

"Everyone here supports the idea of what you're doing, just not where you're doing it," said resident Lee Bertoch. "There's a place in Bluffdale for you, but that's not the place."

Greg Wolfley, another resident, said the facility would be welcomed in Bluffdale, as long as it's in a commercial, manufacturing or industrial area.

"There doesn't have to be a loser here," Wolfley said. "Let's be smart and put things where they belong. This facility does not belong in a residential neighborhood."

Members of the Bluffdale City Council also have expressed concerns over the center's arrival in their community, but it's unclear if they can stop it. State law defines people who are recovering from alcohol or drug addiction as disabled, and federal law requires that centers for the disabled be permitted uses.

Several residents disagreed with that definition, saying clients at drug- and alcohol-treatment centers are there because of choices they made, not because they're disabled.

Other residents said they felt the city staff and elected officials have failed them by allowing the drug-treatment facility to quietly move into the city. Brown applied for a business license on Feb. 6, but city officials say they were not aware of it until April 23. The mayor and City Council weren't informed of the center's plans until April 30, when concerned residents brought it to their attention.

"We worked as fast as we could (to keep residents informed) when we got the information," Mayor Claudia Anderson said. "I'm sorry it got lost in the paper shuffle."