Bay Area Addiction Research & Treatment, Inc. v. City of Antioch

179 F.3d 725, 9 Am. Disabilities Cas. (BNA) 722, 99 Daily Journal DAR 5381, 99 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 4223, 1999 U.S. App. LEXIS 11236, 1999 WL 351126
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
DecidedJune 3, 1999
DocketNo. 98-16612
StatusPublished
Cited by142 cases

This text of 179 F.3d 725 (Bay Area Addiction Research & Treatment, Inc. v. City of Antioch) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bay Area Addiction Research & Treatment, Inc. v. City of Antioch, 179 F.3d 725, 9 Am. Disabilities Cas. (BNA) 722, 99 Daily Journal DAR 5381, 99 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 4223, 1999 U.S. App. LEXIS 11236, 1999 WL 351126 (9th Cir. 1999).

Opinion

TASHIMA, Circuit Judge:

In 1998, Bay Area Addiction Research and Treatment, Inc. (“BAART”) and California Detoxification Programs, Inc. (“CDP”) tried to relocate their methadone clinic to the City of Antioch, California. After BAART and CDP received notice from Antioch that the proposed location could be used for such a clinic under Antioch’s zoning plan, the Antioch City Council enacted an urgency ordinance prohibiting [728]*728the operation of methadone clinics within 500 feet of residential areas, thereby precluding the use of the proposed site. BAART, individual patients of BAART, CDP, and Dr. Ron Kletter, the executive director of both, (collectively “Bay Area”) brought suit against Antioch pursuant to Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”), 42 U.S.C. §§ 12131-65, and § 504 of the Rehabilitation-Act, 29 U.S.C. § 794, among others. The district court denied Bay Area’s motion for a preliminary injunction enjoining the urgency ordinance. Bay Area appeals, contending that the district court applied the wrong legal test to its ADA and Rehabilitation Act claims and misjudged the irreparability of the harm it would suffer if an injunction did not issue. We have jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1292(a)(1). We hold that Title II of the ADA and § 504 of the Rehabilitation Act apply to zoning ordinances, and that the district court abused its discretion by applying the wrong legal test to Bay Area’s ADA and Rehabilitation Act claims. Accordingly, we reverse and remand.

I.

BAART has operated a clinic for 13 years in a municipal courthouse in Pitts-burg, California, that provides outpatient methadone treatment to people who have been addicted to heroin. CDP provides short-term outpatient heroin detoxification services at the same location. Although BAART and CDP are distinct entities, they work closely together at clinic locations throughout California. BAART and CDP plan to share space at the location at issue in this case. We will use the abbreviation “BAART” to refer to both BAART and CDP in this statement of the facts.

On December 2, 1997, Contra Costa County notified BAART that its lease of office space in the Pittsburg courthouse would be terminated on September 30, 1998, because the County needed the premises for other uses.1 BAART began to look for a site to which it could relocate near Antioch or Pittsburg, as approximately one-half of BAART’s patients reside in one city or the other. BAART set forth six criteria for its new location: (1) proximity to Antioch or Pittsburg, (2) accessibility to public transportation, (3) approximately 5,000 square feet in size, (4) compliant with building codes, (5) parking for approximately 20 cars, and (6) availability for purchase or long-term lease with an option to purchase.2 After searching for several months, BAART found a location in Antioch (the “Sunset Lane site”) that satisfies these criteria. While the Sunset Lane site was at one time occupied by a medical practice and shares a street with many medical and commercial offices, it abuts a residential neighborhood.

On April 15, 1998, the deputy director of Antioch’s Community Development Department notified BAART in writing that a clinic like BAART’s would be a permitted use of the Sunset Lane site under Antioch’s land use plan.3 Subsequently, on April 27, 1998, BAART filed a business license application for the Sunset. Lane site. The next day, Dr. Kletter and his wife orally agreed to purchase the site, and on May 18, 1998, they entered into a written purchase agreement.4

[729]*729By mid-April, 1998, Antioch residents had learned of BAART’s plans for the Sunset Lane site and began to express their concern that the methadone clinic would result in an increase in crime and drug abuse near Sunset Lane and throughout Antioch. The issue was addressed at the April 28, 1998, Antioch City Council meeting, at which many residents commented on the proposed use of the Sunset Lane site.5 Following this hearing, the City Council unanimously approved Ordinance No. 938-C-S, an urgency ordinance, pursuant to section 65858 of the California Government Code, which authorizes a city to prohibit a land use for 45 days in order to study the proposed use. See Cal. Gov’t Code § 65858 (West 1999). The ordinance forbids the issuance of any permits to or the operation of any new substance abuse clinics, including methadone clinics, located within 500 feet of any residential property.

On June 9, 1998, the city council approved Ordinance No. 941-C-S, another urgency ordinance, that extended the effective date of the original ordinance to April 10, 1999.6 The second ordinance amended the first ordinance so as to prohibit only methadone clinics from operating within 500 feet of any residential property. The “Legislative Findings and Conclusions” accompanying the second ordinance included both statistics and generalities from which the city council concluded that “[t]he proposed methadone clinic at its proposed location represents a current and immediate threat to the public peace, health, safety and welfare.” Specifically, the city council found that the methadone clinic would attract drug dealers and lead to an increase in crime in the area surrounding the clinic.7 The ordinance provided for further studies of the impact of methadone clinics on nearby residences and children.

Antioch and BAART subsequently tried to find an alternative site for the clinic, but no agreement was reached.

On July 6, 1998, Bay Area brought a class action lawsuit against Antioch under the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act, and 42 U.S.C. § 1983, for violations of the Supremacy, Due Process, and Equal Protection Clauses. Bay Area sought a declara[730]*730tory judgment that Ordinance No. 941-C-S was unlawful and a permanent injunction enjoining Antioch from enforcing the ordinance or otherwise interfering with Bay Area’s use of the Sunset Lane site as a methadone clinic.

• Soon thereafter, Bay Area moved for a preliminary injunction and Antioch filed a motion to dismiss. The district court denied Bay Area and Antioch’s motions, holding that zoning is an activity covered by the ADA and the Rehabilitation Act, and that appellants are qualified individuals with disabilities, entitled to protection under both statutes. See 42 U.S.C. § 12131 (1999). The district court decided, however, that at this stage in the litigation, Bay Area had neither demonstrated that it would be irreparably harmed if the court refused to issue a preliminary injunction nor that it was likely to prevail on the merits.

Bay Area argues that the district court erred in refusing to issue a preliminary injunction because the district court considered whether there was an alternative location that would constitute a reasonable accommodation of both sides’ interests.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Powers v. McDonough
Ninth Circuit, 2025
Where Do We Go Berkeley v. Caltrans
32 F.4th 852 (Ninth Circuit, 2022)
Kohler v. Bed Bath & Beyond of California, LLC
780 F.3d 1260 (Ninth Circuit, 2015)
Get Back Up, Inc. v. City of Detroit
606 F. App'x 792 (Sixth Circuit, 2015)
Robin Fortyune v. City of Lomita
766 F.3d 1098 (Ninth Circuit, 2014)
Arizona Dream Act Coalition v. Janice Brewer
757 F.3d 1053 (Ninth Circuit, 2014)
Modiano v. City of Anaheim CA4/3
California Court of Appeal, 2013
California Council of the Blind v. County of Alameda
985 F. Supp. 2d 1229 (N.D. California, 2013)
Peter Savage v. Doug Tweedy
526 F. App'x 765 (Ninth Circuit, 2013)
Tony Lavan v. City of Los Angeles
693 F.3d 1022 (Ninth Circuit, 2012)
Lum v. County of San Joaquin
756 F. Supp. 2d 1243 (E.D. California, 2010)
Frame v. City of Arlington
575 F.3d 432 (Fifth Circuit, 2009)
Miller v. California Speedway Corp.
536 F.3d 1020 (Ninth Circuit, 2008)
Bowers v. National Collegiate Athletic Ass'n
563 F. Supp. 2d 508 (D. New Jersey, 2008)
Katie A. Ex Rel. Ludin v. Los Angeles County
481 F.3d 1150 (Ninth Circuit, 2007)
Boyd v. City of Oakland
458 F. Supp. 2d 1015 (N.D. California, 2006)
Torres v. Rite Aid Corp.
412 F. Supp. 2d 1025 (N.D. California, 2006)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
179 F.3d 725, 9 Am. Disabilities Cas. (BNA) 722, 99 Daily Journal DAR 5381, 99 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 4223, 1999 U.S. App. LEXIS 11236, 1999 WL 351126, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bay-area-addiction-research-treatment-inc-v-city-of-antioch-ca9-1999.