NORTH BEND — Though neighbors feared a Marion Avenue house might shelter drug and alcohol abusers in treatment, the company buying the property says it plans to treat children instead.

At last week’s North Bend City Council meeting, five people spoke against the sale of the property out of concern for its potential use. At the time, neither the city nor community members knew who would be housed there.

Now, ColumbiaCare Services Inc., a not-for-profit corporation based in Medford, plans to open its first short-term respite treatment foster care home for children with mental health and behavioral issues in North Bend. The company designs, builds and operates residential treatment facilities in Oregon and Idaho, with about 100 beds in both states.

Issues arose after neighbors learned ColumbiaCare was the only bidder for the property. It offered $201,001. They wanted the city to deny the sale. The city could not do so, for fear of potential discrimination lawsuits. The site was formally occupied by Pacific Child Care, which served troubled, abused and at-risk kids from Coos, Curry and Western Douglas counties.

Jennifer Jones, an executive assistant for ColumbiaCare, said the company already operates three facilities in North Bend and Coos Bay.

n The Coos Crisis Resolution Center is a six-bed residential treatment facility for adults near Bay Area Hospital.

n The Cedar Bay Residential Treatment Home is a five-bed residential treatment home for adults in North Bend.

n The Bay Apartments is a 10-unit residential apartment complex used as transitional housing for adults on Anderson Avenue in Coos Bay.

“We feel we’re really good neighbors, actually,” Jones said. “We haven’t had any substantial issues with our residents harming anyone or causing any trouble in the community.”

The new facility will cater to children ages 4 to 17 years old, and will provide short-term planned and crisis respite treatment for children in foster care as well as those living with their families.

“I don’t think there is any reason for the community to be alarmed. This is a home that is going to provide children’s services to children from that local community. And so, it’s a really valuable community resource,” Jones said.

Respite treatment basically means that if a child is in need of a cooling down period, he can get treatment, his family can receive skills training that can continue when the child is discharged, and everyone gets some space.

“They can choose this as a resource rather than letting things escalate,” Jones said. “It’s always good to keep kids as close to their support systems as possible while treating whatever mental health issue they may be having.”

Respite care stays generally last up to seven days.

Jones said the corporation bid on the property at 2345 Marion Ave. in October. It’s designed like a residential home and is close to other services.

“And that’s what we want to do, is keep kids in a home-like setting,” she said.

Mayor Rick Wetherell said the facility’s purpose does seem less worrisome.

“They can do with it what they want to. ... However, it seems like a less intrusive facility,  so that should put the neighborhood’s mind at rest,” he said.

ColumbiaCare is still in the process of purchasing the house. Some renovations will be made, but Jones believes they will be interior and cosmetic.

The facility will likely serve about 50 kids annually, and will offer two separate bedrooms with a total of four beds. Jones said doors are expected to open in three to six months time if all goes well.

Parking, she added, shouldn’t be an issue on the narrow street, as she expects the number of employees to be limited.

“We very much want this  residence to continue to fit into the neighborhood as it is now,” Jones said.

Coos County Mental Health director Ginger Swan said she was unaware of any issues with any of ColumbiaCare’s other facilities in the county. She described them as nice and well-run.

Furthermore, she said, the services will fill a gap. She explained that children in crisis are sent out of the area — typically to Portland or Eugene — if they need help.

“Very often, families can’t travel that far,” Swan said. “This is something the community needs and has needed for a long time.”

Coos County Mental Health spent more than $500,000 for kids in residential treatment in the 2007-08 fiscal year, she added.