Clark County rezones to allow teen rehab center

Voicing support for improving treatment options for teenagers struggling with drug addiction, the Clark County council unanimously approved a zoning change that will allow residential care centers in rural centers.

Under Tuesday’s decision, residential care facilities with 11 beds or more can now be placed on parcels that are 2.5 acres or larger in rural centers like Brush Prairie and Dollars Corner. Previously, only residential care homes, which can support 10 beds or fewer, were allowed in rural centers.

The zoning change stemmed from a request by Daybreak Youth Services, a nonprofit offering residential treatment for teenagers with drug addiction and related mental health problems. The organization has purchased the now-closed Bethesda Slavic Church at 11910 N.E. 154th St. in Brush Prairie to be converted to a 40-bed treatment facility for boys and girls, and requested the zoning change from the county so the project could move forward.

“I’m really glad that the councilors were able to come together with consensus, since it’s such an important issue with policies that will benefit treatment in the community for years to come,” Daybreak Executive Director Annette Klinefelter said after the meeting.

The Clark County land-use hearings examiner will consider Daybreak’s specific proposal at a March 24 hearing, the last step before the organization can begin retrofitting the existing building. Klinefelter said it could be ready to accept patients as early as this year.

The proposal has caused an outcry from some Brush Prairie residents who fear the potential impacts on the community’s rural infrastructure as well as to the safety of the neighbors.

“The people of Brush Prairie are concerned about this,” said Larry Knight, president of the Brush Prairie Neighborhood Association.

But in a rare move for the Clark County council, all five agreed to support the zoning change, offering praise to Daybreak.

Councilor Jeanne Stewart, a Republican, said the conditional use permit process will likely ease the concerns of neighbors who fear potential risks.

“I believe these facilities are absolutely needed,” she said.

Fellow Republican Councilor Tom Mielke also voiced his support for the project.

“You can either take care of (drug and alcohol addiction) here, or you can take care of it on the streets or in the jail,” said Mielke. “I believe this can be done on this acreage in a safe manner.”