SOUTH WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. — A controversial drug and alcohol recovery house proposed next to Cetronia Elementary School has been denied.
The township Zoning Hearing Board at a special meeting Monday denied the application, according to applicant Eric Moyer.
- South Whitehall's Zoning Hearing Board voted to deny the application for a drug and alcohol recovery house next to Cetronia Elementary School
- The applicant Eric Moyer said he is considering appealing the decision or proposing a different development at the 3599 Broadway site
- The proposed facility drew resident controversy, with some concerned that the proposed facility could be dangerous for the elementary students
Township Manager Tom Petrucci confirmed in an email that the appeal was denied.
Petrucci said the reasons for denial will be outlined in a written decision the zoning hearing board will release in coming weeks.
Moyer said in a written statement that appealing the decision is "definitely an option." He said he may instead propose a different development at the 3599 Broadway site, which currently is vacant.
"I have many other development options to turn around the property for the community into anything other than an eyesore," Moyer said.
“It's just unfortunate because we’re being treated like nobody wants us. We’re being treated like outcasts and it's not fair.”Jeremy Rios, co-owner of Rios Recovery LLC
Jeremy Rios, who would have run the proposed facility, said he was upset by the decision and felt South Whitehall zoning laws don't allow for a recovery house to be built anywhere in the township.
“It's just unfortunate because we’re being treated like nobody wants us,” Rios said. “We’re being treated like outcasts and it's not fair.”
Recovery houses are privately owned homes for people recovering from drug or alcohol addiction — typically for people exiting drug rehabilitation programs. The facilities typically have a sobriety requirement.
The rejected facility's proposed location used to be Trexler Park Manor, an assisted-living facility that closed in 2014.
A long debate
The zoning hearing board held five hearings over four months. The first hearing was held on Dec. 1 of last year.
The lawyer for Moyer Construction had argued that a recovery house is “sufficiently similar in character and impact” to an assisted living facility, which is a permitted use at the site.
Lawyers representing South Whitehall Township and Parkland School District disputed that claim. They argued that regulations for assisted living facilities are more extensive and the township zoning laws prohibit facilities like it at the proposed site.
Many residents expressed concern on social media and at the hearings about the proposed facility’s proximity to Cetronia Elementary, saying it would pose a potential danger to the students.
Others spoke in favor of the proposed recovery house at the hearings, saying the facilities are needed in the area.
