Rainforest Recovery Center is considering new sites for its sleep-off sobering program.
In a unanimous 5-0 vote Tuesday evening, the City and Borough of Juneau Planning Commission approved an ordinance stating that “sobering centers” can be sited in places zoned as general commercial, light commercial, mixed use or mixed use2.
Those zones cover most of downtown Juneau.
The sleep-off program is an alternative to a protective hold provided by the Juneau Police Department, aka the “drunk tank.”
The sleep-off center operates out of Rainforest Recovery Center, which is dedicated to helping people achieve sobriety and long-term recovery, said Sally Anne Schneider, Bartlett Regional Hospital’s chief behavioral health officer, in an emailed statement.
She said Rainforest Recovery Center is not leaving the hospital area — but “Bartlett is however working with CBJ to identify possible alternative locations which may be more appropriate for our sobering center program, commonly referred to as Sleep Off.”
She added that the sleep-off program isn’t changing, even if it changes locations.
Planners told the commission Tuesday evening that they rejected the idea of a sleep-off center in an industrial area, and the commission approved that recommendation.
The recommendation now goes to the Assembly for approval.
Commissioners Ben Haight, Paul Voelckers, Michael Levine, Carl Greene and Percy Frisby voted yes. Commissioners Matthew Bell, Nathaniel Dye, Bill Peters and Kirsten Shelton-Walker were absent.
Connected to the sobering center vote was a separate item that defines an “emergency shelter” under city code.
That definition appears to be in response to the city’s emerging plans to open warming shelters for the homeless when conditions warrant.
Before the commission’s vote, Juneau resident Cynthia Dau gave an impassioned speech urging prompt action on the homeless issue.
“We have people on the street that are not able to participate in the Glory Hole programs,” she said.
She added that businesses and downtown residents are fed up with having to deal with issues caused by the homeless, but they’re also sympathetic to the issues that have caused people to become homeless.
“While we’re talking about this, can we just talk about an emergency shelter at a level where someone can just get warm when it gets cold?” she asked. “It’s never going to be Disney World … but we can do something.”
In other business, the commission:
• approved a project to improve sewer, water and storm water service along Aspen Avenue and Pinewood Drive.
• approved a conditional use permit for a 8,100-square-foot marijuana farm in a warehouse behind Western Auto & Marine in Lemon Creek. The farm is owned by Farmed Ceuticals LLC, which will be leasing space from Grant Properties LLC. According to state records, Farmed Ceuticals LLC is 80 percent owned by Catherine Foxwell and 20 percent owned by Paul Borrows. The farm does not yet have its state permit.
