City prescribes pain-management clinic rules

Mount Airy officials have adopted regulations aimed at keeping so-called pain management clinics from causing discomfort here.

Such facilities are relatively new on the U.S. medical landscape, hence the lack of formal regulations in smaller communities such as Mount Airy {span}—{/span} until now.

No widespread problems related to pain-management clinics have surfaced locally, although a clinic then located on North Main Street was searched by agents of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration in October 2019.

Restrictions on where clinics can be located in town are among zoning amendments approved unanimously by the Mount Airy Board of Commissioners on June 20.

The set of standards have combined both pain management clinics and residential care facilities for regulatory purposes.

The commissioners approved that joint measure after no one spoke in opposition to it at a public hearing.

That hearing had been advertised and the proposal publicized, with the lack of detractors indicating citizens back the intent of the measure.

“The purpose of these zoning amendments is to provide guidelines for the establishment and operation of new pain management clinics and reduce the number of zoning districts that residential care facilities are permitted within the city of Mount Airy,” according to municipal planning documents.

Residential care refers to shelters and halfway houses.

“The proposed amendments aim to safeguard the health, safety and welfare of residents and ensure the orderly development of the city,” the planning documents state.

The specifics

Of all the zoning districts located in Mount Airy, any new pain management clinics will now be allowed only in B-5 (Medical Business) zones.

Also, no clinic is permitted within 1,000 feet of a church, school, library, child-care center, public park or existing pain management clinic or one that has been permitted, in a straight line from property line to property line.

In addition, none are permitted within 500 feet of an existing residence or residentially zoned property.

The measure further specifies that clinics adhere to all federal, state and local regulations, including ones pertaining to advertisements and legality of products prescribed.

As for residential care facilities, allowable zones include R-4 (Office-Residential), B-2 (General Business) and B-5 (Medical Business), but no general residential areas.

Mount Airy Planning Director Andy Goodall also has said that both pain management clinics and residential care facilities will be subject to “special requirements.”

These are additional standards for specific uses other than the general zoning measures for all purposes, Goodall explained.

The Mount Airy Planning Board, an advisory group to the commissioners, reviewed the proposed city zoning amendments in a meeting on May 29 and voted 8-0 to recommend approval.

Mount Airy’s new rules for pain management and residential care facilities are coming on the heels of first-ever regulations for vape, hemp and tobacco stores in town which were adopted earlier this year.