Bloomington officials are warning a privately-owned addiction treatment center that it will have to shut down if it doesn't address zoning violations.
The Indiana Center for Recovery offers long-term treatment and transitional housing for people with alcohol and opioid addiction. The facility consists of two buildings: one on 909 W. First St., and an apartment building across the street at 1004 W. First St.
The city Planning and Transportation Department says the two buildings are not accurately zoned, and it's giving the center a couple weeks to file amended paperwork or cease operating.
A zoning compliance officer sent the center a formal warning of non-compliance letter on Wednesday.
The letter says when the center applied for a building permit on April 11, they listed 909 W. First as "residential/treatment center," and listed the apartment building as "property owner's address."
But the city says both buildings should be zoned as a "rehabilitation clinic," which requires another step of approval.
The letter says it gave the center the option to take that extra approval step last month, but the group's legal counsel said it had no plans to file that paperwork.
Zoning officials are giving the center two options: to shut down by June 19, or to start the approval process by June 14.
Cheyenne Riker, who represents the Indiana Center for Recovery, says the center isn't in violation of any zoning ordinances.
"The Notices of Violation are not consistent with the plain language of the Unified Development Ordinance, and they are not consistent with the city's purported goal of reducing the deliterious effects of the opioid epidemic," Riker said in an emailed statement. "ICFR's continuing goal is to offer quality, medically sound treatment on an outpatient basis to victims of substance abuse - this goal has not changed."
The city says the center can appeal within five days of receiving the letter. Riker says they'll file the appeal as soon as they get the official notice.
The conflict comes as Mayor John Hamilton's office is considering imposing a one-year moratorium on new addiction treatment centers in the city.
Read the letter sent to the Indiana Center for Recovery below. A nearly identical letter was sent to the apartment building's address. Read that letter here.
