New drug, alcohol facilities may be put on hold

Judy Odierna

Monday, March 31, 2003 | 11:15 a.m.

New licenses for drug and alcohol treatment or counseling facilities may be put on hold in Las Vegas.

The City Council will decide Wednesday whether to place a moratorium on such licenses while city staff reviews existing locations and whether to change how the facilities are zoned.

The item is being brought before the council at the urging of Councilman Michael McDonald, who raised questions in February about how a drug treatment center wound up in a residential neighborhood.

"We need a strong definition," McDonald said. "Right now we have one from the city attorney, one from planning and one from business licenses. We need to get everyone 100 percent in line on what a drug center is and what a medical center is."

McDonald said there also needs to be a clear understanding as to where such facilities can be located.

"Obviously they need to be away from any type of neighborhood or schools or parks," he said.

The city is currently in a bind trying to find a new home for Choices Group Inc. -- which provides court-ordered counseling for drug and alcohol offenders.

The center was originally located on Third Street and applied to move to 800 S. Valley View Blvd., the former offices of the Las Vegas Sun, in August 2001.

The business license application was initially denied because a special use permit was needed for that area. But somehow during the same month the facility was granted a permit for an outpatient drug treatment center.

The location is near Hyde Park Middle School, a park and a residential neighborhood.

McDonald alleged in February that some city employees approved the center to make himself and Mayor Oscar Goodman look bad. An investigation into the events surrounding the matter was opened and is still pending.

Choices now has to be moved -- which could cost the city more than $1 million because the city would have to inherit Choices Group's current five-year lease.

"The city is at fault now so the city has to foot the bill," McDonald said. "It's an issue where someone who worked at the city allowed this to go in after another department said they cannot go in."

McDonald said adopting the moratorium will give the city time to come up with clearer standards so that a similar problem does not arise in the future.

Jim Difiore, manager of the city's Finance and Business Services Department, said if the moratorium passes then no new licenses will be approved until it is lifted. There are not many licenses pending, Difiore said.

Currently there are various zoning regulations for facilities.

Planning Director Margo Wheeler said the city's current guidelines can be confusing.

"We need to look at our definitions," she said. "It happens every so often as different uses come about that our zoning codes don't address as thoroughly as they should when they come out."

The main goal during the moratorium period would be to settle on an appropriate zoning for these types of centers so that they can serve their purpose and fulfill the needs of the community but not near a neighborhood, school or park, officials said.