ORANGE : Effort to Ban Center for Alcoholics Fails
A resident’s effort to overturn approval of an alcohol treatment center in his neighborhood was rejected by the City Council to the cheers of the almost 40 supporters of the center.
The facility for youths ages 12 to 17 and its location on Parker Street were approved last month by the Planning Commission. Operated by Social Model Recovery Systems Inc., the nonprofit facility is the first program of its type funded by Orange County.
The program uses non-medical treatment and serves youths who are unable to pay for the service. A maximum of 24 patients can live in the center at a time.
But a few of the center’s future neighbors, led by resident Paul Flower, said its location “in the middle of a family area” was inappropriate.
The center would be “interfering with a property owner’s lawful right to quiet enjoyment,” Flower said in his appeal.
During the public hearing, however, several speakers representing local and state drug and alcohol treatment organizations hailed Social Model Recovery’s reputation.
Supporters also submitted a petition with signatures from 87 of the 132 neighboring residents who favored the Parker Street site.
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