Pubdate: Mon, 15 Dec 2003 Source: Knoxville News-Sentinel (TN) Copyright: 2003 The Knoxville News-Sentinel Co. Contact: http://www.knoxnews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/226 Author: Michael Silence Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?136 (Methadone) CLINIC RULES DON'T PASS MUSTER Committee Feels Ordinance On Methadone Treatment Facilities Needs More Work Knox County wants to extend a moratorium on methadone treatment facilities while it develops an ordinance on the matter. The County Commission is expected to approve a four-month extension of the ban on new clinics while an ordinance is drawn-up to meet the concerns of some of the commissioners. If the commission approves the ordinance, the sometimes-controversial clinics would be subject to legislative oversight. The commission slapped a six-month ban on methadone clinics last June after a nonresidential clinic was proposed on Chapman Highway in South Knox County. Residents complained, and South Knox County Commissioners Howard Pinkston and Larry Clark said a clinic was not consistent with the zoning of the area, which included residential neighborhoods. It was discovered at the time that there was confusion as to whether methadone clinics are permissible under office and medical zoning. The issue was then sent to the Metropolitan Planning Commission to draw up an ordinance specifically dealing with methadone clinics, where heroin addition is treated among other things. Currently, the county has just one methadone clinic, according to the state Department of Health, which licenses such facilities. The ordinance was drawn up and presented to the commission, but a commission committee recommended last week that it be sent back to MPC for revision and tightening. Commission Chairman David Collins said if that recommendation is approved at today's commission meeting, the ordinance will go back to the MPC for more work. With that potential approval, a four-month extension on the moratorium would be in effect to give MPC more time to work on the ordinance. Moyers said in current form, the ordinance allows methadone treatment facilities in four zones - office park, office, medical and related services, highway commercial and business and technology park. He said some commissioners felt that was too many zones. The current proposal also adds various stipulations, such as a clinic cannot be within 500 feet of a school, church or day-care facility or any business that sells alcoholic beverages. It also requires what is known as "use on review," meaning each application is specifically examined by all board members of the MPC. "Those sorts of restrictions aren't on normal clinics," commission Chairman Collins said. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin