Recently, there have been questions asked by a few residents about the possibility of a revised code amendment being discussed at an upcoming Town Council meeting which would allow a detox center to open in Fountain Hills. There will be no Council discussion or review of a draft ordinance regarding detox facilities at the Town Council meeting on May 18. Due to the concerns raised by the public on this issue and by members of the Planning and Zoning Commission, the Town Manager has directed staff to discontinue consideration of this proposal at this time.
This item came up due to a realtor contacting staff with an inquiry about the zoning requirements for a possible detox facility. The realtor indicated that he represented an operator of the detox facility and couldn’t find the appropriate zoning for such a facility in the Town Code. Since the town did not have a zoning category for detox center use, staff initiated a zoning text amendment to site and regulated such facilities in a C-2 and C-3 zoning. This is usually the preferable direction to take, so the town is proactive in properly applying zoning to regulate certain uses with conditions and other stipulations.
There are no immediate plans to address the zoning amendment to allow a detox facility in Fountain Hills. However, if the town receives an application for a facility, the town will need to go through a zoning amendment process. Please note that this is a very public process that will involve a series of community notifications, public hearings, and input from residents before this type of use is voted on and possibly allowed in Fountain Hills.