Anderson Council Clears Addiction Center Zoning
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe Anderson City Council has approved the next step in the development of a controversial substance abuse recovery center. Our partners at The Herald Bulletin report a more than 3.5 hour debate took place among those for and against rezoning for the center at the former Mockingbird Hill site.
The publication reports Aspire Indiana and Progress House requested the change in zoning for a long-term facility for men suffering from addiction. The rezoning would keep the area residential but would allow for the construction of the recovery center.
The council voted 6-2 in favor of the rezoning.
Those opposed to the rezoning cited concerns about safety and the possibility of a decline in property values as a result of the center.
Officials of Aspire and Progress House stated that the facility will only treat men who are voluntarily entering a recovery program and that no men convicted of sex or violent crimes would be admitted. They also outlined security measures that would be employed to assure for the safety of neighborhood residents and said that local property values would not be affected.
Progress House Chief Executive Officer Darrell Mitchell told the publication the main goal is for clients in the recovery center to be residents of Anderson.
“This will meet the needs of the city of Anderson,” he said. “Traditional treatment that lasts up to 28 days is not working. This is a six-month program.”
Mitchell said the facility will be staffed around the clock and will employ 41 people.
The next step is seeking approval of a special exception from the Anderson Board of Zoning Appeals, which is scheduled to meet January 8.
To read the full story from The Herald Bulletin, click here.