Maryland families outraged over planned drug rehab facility opening next to elementary school

Residents of a small community in Montgomery County, Maryland, are up in arms over a proposed drug rehabilitation group home being built in a residential neighborhood next to an elementary school.

At a community meeting Monday night, Brookeville families grilled council members about zoning issues and the safety risks of the facility's proposed location, which will share a property line with the Greenwood Elementary School.

Residents said they were blindsided by the news and were not given any say in the matter. They worried about potential safety issues for students because of the facility's proximity.

"Taking a chance with our youngest and most vulnerable population in the residential district like this is a real risk and that's not a risk that anybody in this audience wants to take," one resident told Councilmember Dawn Luedtke, who represents the district.

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A mother named Kim, who lives near Greenwood, confronted Luedtke and asked her to promise that her children would be safe walking to school.

"I want you to look at him," she said, pointing to her son. "What can you say to me with a straight face — you can look me in the eye and ensure his safety? You can go to sleep at night and be okay with that?"

Two properties in the Brookeville neighborhood were reportedly recently purchased by a single owner with the purpose of converting them into a drug rehab facility, known as "The Freedom Center."

Residents who oppose the facility's location have started a petition, which has amassed over 1,400 signatures, to urge the county to stop its opening. 

"We are not opposed to drug and alcohol rehabilitation facilities or the nature of their care. In fact, we hope this issue brings attention and resources to addiction aid. The concern is the location of this facility," the petition says.

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Geno, a Brookeville resident who has three children attending Greenwood, told Fox News Digital that the community wants the county council to consider sponsoring their proposed zoning amendments, which would create distance from facilities like this one being built next to schools.

He believes the owner of the properties found a "loophole" in the county's zoning laws to be able to convert two properties, each holding eight patients at a time, to "physically and functionally operate as a single facility."

The community has proposed zoning text amendments saying that group homes must be at least a half-mile away from schools, daycares, or public playgrounds, or that properties used as group homes must be separated from each other by a minimum of 1,000 feet.

"This is kind of a softball for the county," Geno said. "They're just afraid to be the one that makes decisions on their own code. This was never the original intent. But they're afraid to make a decision, and we need them to."

"I think anybody that sees this situation, you've got four recesses of kindergartners playing on a grass field, separated by two extreme drug rehabilitation centers by a chain-link fence that goes forty yards and then opens up to a to walk path that comes into the school. This is outrageous."

The Freedom Center's website says it is a level 3.5 treatment center. This level of treatment involves "high-intensity programs for adults who cannot be treated outside of a 24/7 facility due to severe physical or psychological problems or severe impulse control problems, or because they display dangerous symptoms that require 24-hour monitoring," according to American Addiction Centers.

The Freedom Center and Luedtke did not respond to a request for comment.

Luedtke told Fox5 DC earlier this month, "I'm aware of the community's concerns and our office is responding to inquiries about the zoning and permitting process for a private entity such as the one pursuing this project. The safety and security of students and educators is of paramount importance to me," she said.