AMHERST, N.Y. -- The Amherst Town Board passed a resolution Monday that sets the stage for the town to re-zone and control where future methadone clinics go.

The resolution is in response to Catholic Health's new Sisters Amherst Health Center which is slated to open at 910 Millersport Highway.

Amherst Town Supervisor Barry Weinstein says while the board can't stop the clinic from opening right now, it can eventually force it to move.

"We're going to identify certain places in the town that would be appropriate for this type of facility, and we're going to grandfather them, but it's not going to be indefinitely," Weinstein said.

Weinstein says that grace period would likely be three years and he hopes this resolution incentivizes Catholic Health to choose another location.

Back on April 11th, more than 100 residents expressed their displeasure with Catholic Health for placing the clinic near a neighborhood and for lacking transparency during the process.

Assemblyman Ray Walter echoed that complaint.

"They're 18 months into this process, and they're having their first meeting with residents in the beginning of May, and that's not the way that this should go," Walter said.

Marty Pasternak lives right behind the proposed clinic on North Ivyhurst Road. He says despite Catholic Health's pledge to speak to residents, he hasn't been notified.

"They invited several of the residents on my short section of the street, nobody else in the neighborhood they're inviting, and they segregated it into two different times, 7 o'clock and 5 o'clock on May 2nd, but I didn't receive an invitation," Pasternak said.

While residents voiced their pleasure with the resolution Monday, Erie County Health Commissioner Gale Burstein was the lone voice dissent.

"There are a lot of perceived beliefs about the type of person that seeks care at these sites, but we really need to mythbust, we really need to beat stigma, and these type of restrictions are just fueling the fire for these stigma and these discriminatory attitudes (toward) people suffering from chronic disease," Burstein said.

Catholic Health still has to get a certificate of need from the state and a certificate of occupancy from the building department before opening the clinic.

Weinstein says that process will take six to 10 weeks.

Catholic Health is still reviewing the resolution. Representatives plan to meet with neighbors next week.