The drug treatment provider New Season no longer plans to open a drug treatment clinic on West King Street in West Augustine following opposition from area residents.
A New Season representative attended a community meeting Monday to discuss the company’s proposal to open an opioid addiction treatment clinic in a commercial building that previously housed a Family Dollar at 840 West King Street.
About 50 people attended the meeting at the Solomon Calhoun Center, according to LaTrania Tolbert, who was present.
New Season had planned to request a minor modification to the West King Street Planned Unit Development to allow a drug treatment facility at the site.
The application was scheduled to be heard by the St. Johns County Planning and Zoning Agency later this week.
But the proposal was withdrawn after Monday’s meeting, during which residents strongly opposed the plan.
Tolbert, whose grandparents live next door to the former Family Dollar, told The Citizen that a company representative agreed at the meeting to rescind the proposal and said New Season would seek an alternate location.
Opponents argued that while the site is located along a commercial stretch of West King Street, the surrounding area is heavily residential, with many children and seniors.
Critics said the neighborhood would benefit more from a conventional commercial use, such as a grocery store.
Tolbert added that the neighborhood already struggles with a high homeless population and related issues.
“There is already so much harassment coming from the homeless men who congregate behind that building. This would have been gravely stressful,” she said.
Tolbert emphasized that residents support providing help to people struggling with drug addiction, but not in their neighborhood.
