Request For Octagon House Denied

YPSILANTI- A request by the owner of Octagon House for another 30-day extensión of its lease in Ypsilanti in order to "clear up matters relating to correcting the zoning" of the heroin drug treatment center was turned down by Ypsilanti City Council last night. . , L , Kenneth L. Leighton s request for another extensión (a 60-day extensión had been granted June 14) was denied, apparently because council feit it was not necessary since the drug treatment center has already moved f rom 1 the Ypsilanti location to the Washtenaw County Medical Care Facility. Mayor Pro Tem George Goodman told Leighton that Octagon House had been granted the 60-day extensión in June in order to allow the drug treatment to continue at the house on 114 N. River St. while the Planning Commission decided on Octagon House's request to rezone the property. But af ter the extensión was granted, Octagon House oficiáis decided to relocate- at least temporarily- in Ann Arbor. Leighton said he was asking for the 30-day extention because the Planning Commission had no July meeting and would not meet again until later this month. The 60day extensión expires Aug. According to Leighton, if the zoning change is approved by the Planning Commission and council, Octagon House is "very much interested in returning to Ypsilanti and to the place they left." (City Attorney Kenneth Bronson had ruled earlier this summer that the methadone drug treatment clinic for the treatment of heroin addicts did not comply witii the R-3 zoning of the property). Councilman Norman Kenn e d y , however, said the director of Octagon House told him the drug treatment center doesn't want to move back to Ypsilanti if the re-zoning is approved because of the "harrassment" to which he and his staff had been subjected. . . The Planning Commission is expected to meet on Aug. 12, but an official said there wás no guarantee a decisión on the Otcagon House re-zoning request would be made at that time. ___