April 29, 2025

Our issue has been highlighted again in the media — through a video and article. Watch the video here

Please share and post the article link widely!

How You Can Help Week of 4/29/25

1) Email MCPS & Board of Education Officials - provide community input and request transparency of NEW security measures needed to protect students and staff at Greenwood.

The opening of The Freedom Center will be a new situation, therefore, the current security at Greenwood is no longer sufficient. With the $200,000 in state funding for Greenwood Elementary security upgrades secured by Senator Zucker, new, ADDITIONAL security measures need to be put in place at Greenwood before the drug rehab facility opens in August. 

Use our Form Letter to contact the following MCPS officials:

📧MCPS Board of Ed  

📧MCPS Superintendent, Thomas Taylor

📧Office of Systemwide Safety and Emergency Management, Chief of Security, Marcus Jones

📧Office of Systemwide Safety and Emergency Management, Cluster Security Coordinator, Jaquettia King 

📧Office of Systemwide Safety and Emergency Management, Director, Michelle Ezefor-Andrews

📧Office of School Support and Improvement, Chief of Schools, Peter Moran

📧Office of School Support and Improvement, Director, Eugenia Dawson

2) Amplify the Message
Spread the word through local radio stations, TV outlets, social media, and community groups. Focus on this core message: A for-profit drug rehab facility is being placed directly next to an elementary school. This is a safety issue, and the community deserves better. Please share and post the new media/article link from above.

3) Secure Legal Support
We urgently need pro bono legal counsel to help navigate this zoning issue and stand up for the community. If you know a lawyer who might help, please connect with us.

Thank you for your continued support and please reach out to us if you have resources or ideas!

April 11, 2025
We are still working hard and there is much to do! Please visit the website to see this week’s updates and how you can help continue our efforts. 

https://sites.google.com/view/notodrugrehabneargreenwood/home

Thank you for your continued support and commitment!

March 28, 2025
FOX NEWS National coverage. Thank you again for coming together to support the safety of our children. 

https://www.aol.com/maryland-families-outraged-over-planned-090055730.html​

https://www.foxnews.com/media/maryland-families-outraged-over-planned-drug-rehab-facility-opening-next-elementary-school

March 27, 2025
Click on the link to find information and Action Items Following the Community Meeting! Click subscribe to receive updates. https://sites.google.com/view/notodrugrehabneargreenwood/home

Thank you!

March 26, 2025
Action Items Following the Community Meeting:

1)  Since both Residential Care Facility connecting properties are owned by the same owner, then we believe that this qualifies them as a different "use-type" other than a "Residential Care Facility (up to 8 persons)".  

These two properties will physically and functionally operate as a single facility.  The owner is attempting to enter a loop-hole in the code to profit from a 16 person residential care facility. This was not the intent of the code and will drastically transform the R-200 zone into a different use type.  For precedence, the Fairfax County zoning administrator, Leslie Johnson, made a similar ruling on three homes owned by the same owner for this use-type.  She believed that this created a drug rehab compound which will convert a residential community into an institutional use.

è Contact County Council President, Councilmember Katie Stewart Councilmember.Stewart@montgomerycountymd.gov

è Contact County Council Vice President, Councilmember Will Jawando Councilmember.Jawando@montgomerycountymd.gov 

2)      Urge County Council to sponsor the following UPDATED Zoning Text Amendments.

In the Montgomery County Zoning Ordinance, Ch. 59 Section 1.2.1-B, it states that the "purpose of chapter 59 is to promote health, public safety, and general welfare".  Having two drug rehab centers, which could house up to 192 new patients in total every year (who meet a level 3.5 treatment definition = "designed for people with serious psychological or social issues that require 24-hour care and are at risk for imminent harm”) in direct contact with an elementary school is in direct conflict with the code.  Rehab centers are a very important healing process for patients, but adjacent to a school is an extremely poor decision.  Therefore, we proposed the following two Zoning Text Amendments to counteract situations like this.  We believe that the original authors of the code did not intend for this loop-hole situation to occur, and that these amendments would easily resolve this. These amendments are not discriminatory.  They simply add a limitation to a certain use-type of the code.

Amendment 1: "Properties used as group homes must be a minimum of 0.5 miles away from school, daycare, and/or public playground properties."

Amendment 2: "Properties used as group homes must be separated from each other by a minimum of 1,000 feet."

è Contact County Council President, Councilmember Katie Stewart Councilmember.Stewart@montgomerycountymd.gov

è Contact County Council Vice President, Councilmember Will Jawando Councilmember.Jawando@montgomerycountymd.gov

è CC: Director, Mid-County Regional Service Office, Luisa F. Cardona  Luisa.Cardona@montgomerycountymd.gov

3)      We need clarification on the zoning total of people per residential care facility.   Is it 8 patients in addition to overnight staff per property OR is it up to 7 patients and 1 overnight staff per property, as councilmember Luedtke stated at the meeting?

à Contact Department of Permitting Services Division Chief, Victor Salazar Victor.Salazar@montgomerycountymd.gov

** Our current understanding is that the facilities do not have their state permits yet, so this can still be resolved, but time is critical. 

**Additionally, they also own a THIRD ADJACENT PROPERTY on which they can build another facility.  For that matter, according to how the county has responded so far to their own code, this same owner could purchase 20 adjacent homes and convert them all to facilities of this nature if they so desire.  Therefore, it is crucial that we convince the county to take immediate action on these matters.

March 25, 2025
Thank you so much for bringing your voices to advocate for our children! Please stay tuned for updates and next steps! 

Here are links from last night’s meeting.
WTOP Link

WUSA9 Link

Zoom Recording

March 24, 2025
Tonight is our very important Community Meeting at 7pm. Attend in person or on Zoom.

Please bring your VOICES and RESOURCES! Zoom Link

March 20, 2025
For additional updates, contact links, and resources please visit: https://sites.google.com/view/notodrugrehabneargreenwood/home 

March 19, 2025
The Community Meeting is on Monday 3/24 from 7-8pm. Zoom Link

Please have your questions, concerns and resources available.

Also, we are asking the County Council to sponsor a ZONING TEXT AMENDMENT which can change the existing zoning so that these facilities need to be a specific distance from a school. They need a LOT of political pressure to do this.  

Please email the following councilmembers to specifically ask them to sponsor a zoning text amendment. All of our council members will be up for re-election in June 2026.

We plan to ask Councilmember Luedtke if she will commit to sponsoring a Zoning Text Amendment at the community meeting planned for 3/24. 

Councilmembers At-Large:

Evan Glass: Councilmember.Glass@montgomerycountymd.gov

Will Jawando: Councilmember.Jawando@montgomerycountymd.gov

Gabe Albornoz: Councilmember.Albornoz@montgomerycountymd.gov 

Laurie-Anne Sayles: Councilmember.Sayles@montgomerycountymd.gov 

Councilmember for district 7: Dawn Luedtke: Councilmember.Luedtke@montgomerycountymd.gov

Thank you again for your support!

March 14, 2025
Here is the Zoom Link for Councilmember Luedtke's Community Meeting scheduled for Monday, March 24 from 7-8 p.m.

March 11, 2025
Councilmember Luedtke’s office emailed information regarding the 3/24/25 Community Meeting directly to those who reached out to her office. 

In addition details of the meeting for GES parents and members of the community have been posted on several neighborhood social media pages. Please make sure to check out the sights for details. The reality is, that the school can only fit so many people and we are hopeful that Zoom or Meets will be made available!

We also wanted to take this time to thank you for signing our petition! We are overwhelmed with gratitude by your support for our children and remain hopeful.

March 8, 2025
Thank you for your continued support.

We are not opposed to drug and alcohol rehabilitation facilities or the nature of their care. In fact, we hope this issue brings attention and resources to addiction aid.
The concern is the location of this facility, which is directly next to our elementary school and its recess fields—a highly populated area where children play—and in the direction of the crossing guard, where children are directed to walk to and from school.
Please continue to send questions and concerns to councilmember.luedtke@montgomerycountymd.

DC NEWS NOW Link

March 7, 2025
Please save the date for Monday 3/24/25 

A formal email invite with details will be sent on Monday to everyone who has reached out to Councilmember Luedtke’s office.

Please send questions/concerns to: councilmember.luedtke@montgomerycountymd.gov.

Thank you again for supporting our community.

March 6, 2025

WUSA9 Link

Thank you for the support! We are still waiting to hear from Council member Luedtke’s office on a date for the community meeting.

Mar 5, 2025

Link to Fox5 News segment on Greenwood. Thank you for the support! Still waiting on a date for the community meeting

Original petition
Please help our community stop the opening of The Freedom Center, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility. This newly purchased property shares a property line with Greenwood Elementary School. Next to the school’s playground! The facility, operated by USR Holdings Inc., raises several safety and community issues.

 • The company intends to plant additional trees as a barrier between the school and facility but no plans for additional fencing or security. Even though patients will be staying overnight.

 • Research shows that this type of facility decreases surrounding property values by up to 17%.

It is not safe for our children to play at recess next to a drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility. We are working to put together a community meeting with state, county and school officials.

Please sign our petition and stop the facility from opening.