Methadone clinic finds home

After combing the Peninsula for months, San Mateo County's only methadone clinic has found a North Fair Oaks location that county planners, the landlord and clinic directors agree is ideal. Now there's a new challenge: neighborhood outrage.

A groundswell of residents of the unincorporated neighborhood near Redwood City, joined by homeowners in nearby Atherton, are battling the clinic's relocation plans. The proposed clinic site is in a mixed-use area near the railroad tracks.

The familiar chorus of neighborhood opposition to drug treatment programs is in high pitch here. The county planning commission will consider Professional Treatment Inc.'s application Wednesday, and people are furiously faxing letters to public officials.

Leaders of an opposition petition drive say they will soon have 250 signatures. One resident vows she will sell her house if former drug addicts start using her neighborhood; others say they fear for their children's safety.

``I worked down the street from the clinic where it is right now, and I've seen what's gone on,'' said Beatrice Ayotte, a six-year resident. ``I've watched them hang around on the railroad tracks and do ungodly things you'd only do in a bathroom.''

But county officials and their local representatives on the elected North Fair Oaks Community Council insist the clinic has found a good home in a vacant site on Fifth Avenue. Public transportation, including Caltrain and buses on El Camino Real, is only blocks away and the surrounding area boasts a number of businesses. While only one single-family home is adjacent to where the clinic would be located, a residential neighborhood is nearby. And as homeowners express horror at the idea of former addicts sharing their streets, local leaders say the clinic is likely to improve the neighborhood, the most crime-ridden in the Redwood City area. In March, the community council voted unanimously in favor of granting the clinic a use permit.

``The participants are very, very dedicated to recovery, and most of the people are working and trying to lead very responsible lives,'' said council member Terry Trobough. ``The caliber of people is much higher than a lot of people who live in the community as far as the gang members and amount of drug dealing going on now. I'd rather have people who are responsible and taking control over their lives than those still on the streets.''

Among the 330 patients are stockbrokers, graduate students and construction workers as well as the unemployed and homeless. At least half, if not more, stop in daily for sips of cherry-flavored methadone on their way to work. Others bring their children with them. They pay as much as $300 a month for the treatment, which allows them to stay off heroin.

``The people who go to the methadone clinic are folks who have admitted they have an illness and are dealing with it, they're not criminals,'' said Supervisor Rich Gordon. ``That paints a very different picture than the kinds of things we're hearing from people in opposition to this.''

Open since 1972, the clinic is the only one of its kind between San Jose and San Francisco. At its present site in downtown Redwood City, it has operated relatively trouble-free and is considered a clean and responsible neighbor, police say.

``We hardly ever notice them,'' said Redwood City police officer Eric Stasiak.

Subject to strict state guidelines, the clinic allows no congregating outside the facility. Most clients visit for less than five minutes in the early morning hours, although doors remain open until 1 p.m. on weekdays. State officials frequently arrive unannounced to conduct random facility checks.

``I can appreciate the concern and the fear that some of the residents have,'' said the clinic's director, Bill Edelman. ``It's unfortunate that (the neighbors) have misinformation about what we're about. We're about helping people who have requested help for their recovery. These are people who are making a commitment to change.''