Pleasant Grove residents oppose drug treatment center

PLEASANT GROVE — A substance-abuse treatment facility is coming to a Pleasant Grove neighborhood, and residents are not happy, but the city's hands are tied.

The city held a town hall meeting Tuesday night for Sam White's Lane neighborhood residents to discuss the Phoenix House Recovery Center.

The Phoenix House developers have contracted to purchase a property at 145 S. 1300 West and plan to construct an 8,500-square-foot, 16-person in-patient facility.

"They know the neighbors don't want it," said resident Bruce Goodwin. "So why can't they put it away from us?"

According to Sean Allen, Pleasant Grove city planner, the city can't legally stop Phoenix House from building in the residential area, due to the property's mixed-use commercial zoning and recent state legislation.

"Substance-abuse-type facilities are considered disability facilities," Allen said. "For that reason, the city is basically forced to accommodate this facility."

However, the city can place requirements on the facility, ranging from its aesthetics to its security systems, in order to ensure public safety.

"It's not something the city can just say no to," Allen said. "The state says we have to say yes and make it work for our city."

Residents' concerns ranged from requiring security fencing and camera systems around the facility to the impact it may have on their property values.

"The community's reaction was typical, given the nature of the facility," said William Green, a consultant for Phoenix House and a licensed social worker.

Patients typically will enter the facility for 30 to 90 days to complete their addiction treatment. Some will be court-ordered to attend in-patient rehabilitation; others will check themselves in or be checked in by concerned family members.

The Phoenix House group submitted its official site-plan application Tuesday. The plan will be reviewed by Allen and will undergo another public hearing before it is presented to the Planning Commission.

"We recognize that substance abuse and dependency is an issue that exists, not just here in this community, but in the nation," said Jacob Forsyth of the Phoenix House group. "We recognize that this type of facility may cause some concern and some fear."

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, approximately 195,000 Utah adults suffer from drug or alcohol addiction, and 106,000 live in Salt Lake and Utah counties. Currently, there are 17 in-patient substance-abuse treatment facilities in Utah, 12 of which are in Salt Lake and Utah counties. Many are located in residential areas, like the proposed Phoenix House.

"We're here to be good neighbors," said Craig Forsyth of the Phoenix House group. "We see a need, and we're trying to find an area that will have the least possible impact we can possibly have."

e-mail: eteichert@desnews.com