We the residents of the Pelanconi neighborhood and surrounding residential neighborhoods would like to express our sincerest and deepest concerns regarding the proposed Drug and Alcohol Treatment Center project at 5744 San Fernando Road, Glendale, California. 
 
While we understand a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center is a necessary and important public service, we have grave concerns that the location of this proposed center is not acceptable.  The proposed treatment center would be located extremely close to residential homes and 0.8 miles from our neighboring schools--Mark Keppel Elementary, Toll Middle School, and Hoover High School.  Additionally, the proposed treatment center would be located on the corner of San Fernando and Highland across from a busy Arco gas station/convenience/liquor store/repair shop, across from a busy train track with high suicidal risk and history of this, next to a car wash and more over on the same block as an outpatient medical/surgical center amongst many other small businesses.

There are many families with children and elders in this residential area.  There is a block of residential family homes on Dale Ave. that would only be separated from this facility by a small alley.  Our neighborhood and homes would be at risk for increased crime, transients, and property value depreciation.
 
According to the Johns Hopkins Magazine (Keiger, 2016) “urban residents are right to be concerned about safety, property values, noise and traffic, and unpleasant behavior on the street, all of which reduce the quality of their lives.”  This study also found that the same number of crimes are committed in and around Drug Treatment Centers as convenience/liquor stores, thereby increasing crime for the area as this center will be located in front and next to convenient businesses. 

If it were not for one vigilant neighbor none of us would be aware of this situation as we were not properly notified and given enough time to express our concern before the specified deadline. In a time with so much uncertainty, change and fear due to the COVID pandemic our quiet and peaceful homes do not need to be uprooted by a rehab in our backyard. 

We as a whole have a lot of questions and safety concerns regarding this proposed treatment center. We agree help is needed, however, we also all think this is not the optimal location for a rehabilitation center. 

Please do not allow this treatment center to be erected at 5744 San Fernando Road.  The risk of having a population of drug and alcohol addicts in such close proximity to homes, businesses, the train tracks, the city power plant, schools and the freeway is unfathomable. Please sincerely consider the risks of approving such project as I am sure the impact and long term repercussions of placing a rehab/treatment center in a location like this would be a double negative for the patients and those living and conducting daily life functions in the surrounding area.