After years of discussion, Northampton County is a step closer to having a DUI treatment center.

County council voted 8-0 Thursday to approve a $450,000 lease for the center in West Easton, which officials hope will ease overcrowding at the county prison as well as the number of repeat offenders in the prison system.

"This has been a long journey to this point," county Executive John Stoffa said, noting earlier, unsuccessful efforts to open the center in Glendon and Bethlehem Township.

Stoffa said the 100-bed rehab center at Main and East streets would represent a philosophical change in direction for the county, emphasizing rehabilitation rather than incarceration.

The property is owned by Abraham Atiyeh, a developer who also has plans to build a similar medical facility nearby. West Easton is still considering a zoning change that would allow that to happen. The borough also needs to decide on a temporary resident impact fee from the county. 

Councilman Lamont McClure praised the plan to house the facility in West Easton, which was first mentioned years ago by the late Councilman Wayne Grube.

"We're going to begin the process of closing our 19th century jail. That's a good thing," he said. "We're going to stop paying other counties to take our prisoners. That's a good thing."

Easton resident Terrence Miller, who lives near the existing prison and also chairs the county's Drug and Alcohol Advisory Board, said West Easton residents shouldn't worry about safety issues, saying that in his experience, the county runs "a tight ship and a safe ship."

He said it represents a step in the right direction, and a move away from building prisons.

"We need facilities to bring hope and restoration and redemption to addicts," Miller said, "and people who have been lost in a life of crime."