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Mountain Hawk Project Details

A Letter From the Owners

First, I would like to thank everyone who has shown support for our project. It is an affirmation that the good work we strive to do every day is making an impact and achieving its desired goal: to provide quality, affordable, addiction treatment to as many people as possible.

Pura Vida Recovery Services was founded in 2017 by Alex Wignall, David Wignall, and Ben Pahlavan. I am Alex and I am writing this letter on behalf of all three of us. David is my dad and the father of six children, three of whom have had issues with addiction. Ben is a friend I met when we were both early in recovery. I tell you these personal details to assure you that we are invested in this project. Our lives have been forever changed by our experiences with addiction and recovery. We currently employ around 25 staff members and treat between 40-50 people a month in detox and intensive outpatient treatment. We have a license and certification from the California Department of Health Care Services and an accreditation from The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.

Our guiding principle is that everyone deserves a helping hand, and that we should treat others as we would have them treat us. Our intention with this project is the give that helping hand to as many people as we possible can. If we felt that this program would be a detriment to the community we would not be proposing it.

Here are some helpful facts about our program:

  • All of our clients come to Pura Vida voluntarily
  • Our clients pay for their treatment privately, utilize private insurance, or utilize internal scholarships.
  • Pura Vida clients are required to be sober from drugs and alcohol while in our treatment program.
  • Drug tested frequently and tested for alcohol multiple times per day.
  • Pura Vida clients are supervised by professional staff.
  • Pura Vida clients adhere to a busy schedule and do not have their own vehicles. Free time during their schedule is spent under direct supervision.
  • Pura Vida will reduce traffic to and from 5761 Mountain Hawk
  • Pura Vida Recovery Services is licensed and certified by the California Department of Health Care Services and accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Facilities.
  • Pura Vida clients will not be coming to 5761 Mountain Hawk for medications like a methadone clinic. We offer a higher level of care than those types of facilities.
  • Pura Vida clients will not be loitering in the area or affecting anyone in the neighborhood or surrounding area.

What is Detox:

First step in recovery.

Length of stay: 3-14 days.

Stop using drugs/alcohol safely. Clients screened and physically searched upon entry, drug tested daily.

24/hour supervision by medical assistants, counselors, and treatment technicians.

All meals on-site.

All activities on-site.

Exposure to addiction treatment (1 group/day and individual counseling.)

Clients do not have vehicles on-site and do not go anywhere outside their housing unit during treatment, except mild exercise under direct supervision of PV staff.

What is Residential Treatment:

Second step in recovery.

Length of stay: 30-90 days.

Clients are physically free from drugs/alcohol. Tested regularly to ensure compliance.

24/hour supervision by medical assistants, counselors, psychologists, and treatment technicians.

Meals on-site and off-site depending on schedule.

Activities and treatment on-site and off-site depending on schedule.

Clients off-site for majority of the day, from around 9:30am to 6:00pm.

Clients do not drive or go anywhere without a representative of Pura Vida Recovery Services. present. Pura Vida Recovery Services provides transportation in vans.

Exposure to addiction treatment (6-8 hours/day, individual counseling, relapse prevention, recreational therapy, physical fitness, self-help meetings, spiritual practices, life skills, and community reintegration skills.) See schedule below for details.

Sample residential schedule

Minor Use Permit Application

Pura Vida is simply applying for a Minor Use Permit to increase a by right use, community care facility, from 6 beds (already have zoning approval, see below), to 24 beds.

Minor use permit application

Based on our understanding of the applicable local zoning code and ordinances, as well as conversations with the great people at the Planning and Economic Development Department, we believe that Pura Vida Recovery Services has met all of the conditions required by a minor use permit applicant. Below are the 5 findings.

1. The proposed use is allowed within the applicable zoning district and complies with all other applicable provisions of this Zoning Code and the City Code;

City code

2. The proposed use is consistent with the General Plan and any applicable specific plan;

Below are excerpts from the general plan that show the City of Santa Rosa’s commitment to accommodating disabled peoples, our clients membership in that class, and overarching as well as specific portions of the plan that are consistent with our proposed use of 5761 Mountain Hawk Dr.

Disabled Persons:

The excerpt below is taken from the Department of Justice website.

The Fair Housing Act defines a person with a disability to include (1) individuals with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities; (2) individuals who are regarded as having such an impairment; and (3) individuals with a record of such an impairment.

The term “physical or mental impairment” includes, but is not limited to, diseases and conditions such as orthopedic, visual, speech and hearing impairments, cerebral palsy, autism, epilepsy, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, HIV infection, developmental disabilities, mental illness, drug addiction (other than addiction caused by current, illegal use of a controlled substance), and alcoholism.

General Plan Definition:

General plan definition - disabled

Santa Rosa’s commitment to the disabled and special needs population:

Special Needs Groups info

Housing for persons with disabilities info

General Plan Vision:

If the city wants to live up to its vision statement regarding housing, what better way than to approve this project. The fact is that the city has failed completely at providing any sort of resource for the disabled addicted. There are no private detoxification facilities in Santa Rosa outside of Pura Vida Recovery Services, and only one other residential program, which only serves low income women. See the City’s vision below.

General plan vision

Primary Objective:

The first goal of the General Plan regarding housing is to “Meet the housing needs of all Santa Rosa residents.

As it stands now there is no residential addiction treatment option available for men in Santa Rosa city limits with private insurance. Approving our project will be a good first step in the direction of accomplishing the overarching goal of Section H-A and H-A-1.

H-A-1

Specific Objective:

Sonoma County and Santa Rosa in particular are currently in the midst of another opioid epidemic. In 2021, 122 residents overdosed and died due to opioids. Most of these 122 deaths were young people who had not even begun to live their lives yet. It is also safe to assume that as fentanyl continues to poor into our community 2022 will be as bad if not worse than 2021. And these are only the deaths. There were countless overdoses who survived, emergency room visits, families destroyed, and lives irrevocably changed. If you don’t believe this just as a paramedic or emergency room nurse how many overdoses they see every day. This part of the issue is personal for us. We knew many of those 122, and treated hundreds of people before they became a statistic too.

By any measure this epidemic should be considered an emergency situation. If the city wants to live up to the goal outlined in H-D-10 approving our project would be not only be appropriate, but we would argue duty requires it.

H-D-10

3. The design, location, size and operating characteristics of the proposed activity would be compatible with the existing and future land uses in the vicinity;

We are not proposing to alter the design, location, or size of the building. The amount of people living in the residential units when we purchased the building was 22. We are proposing 24 residents, none of whom drive, which will significantly reduce the amount of traffic to the building. Our use is compatible with the existing residential use by right for 6 beds, and the increase we propose and will not have any effect on future land use in the vicinity.

4. The site is physically suitable for the type, density and intensity of use being proposed, including access, utilities, and the absence of physical constraints.

Type:

Facility type reference chart

Density and Intensity

The city of Santa Rosa has adopted the regulations outlined in the Uniform Housing Code, section 503.2 to regulate occupancy in residential units. Below please see an excerpt from that code. Based on the contents of the Uniform Housing Code, and the City of Santa Rosa’s regulations, each two bedroom unit at 5761 Mountain Hawk could safely house 9 people based on square footage and layout. 7 units x 9 residents = 63 residents who could be safely housed in the 8,400sf or living space. We are proposing 24 residents and 6-8 staff at any given time.

Required minimum floor areas of rooms

The site is ideal for the type of use being proposed. It is located in a commercial island which separates the building from the surrounding neighborhood. Utilities and access are more than adequate, and there are no physical constraints.

5. Granting the permit would constitute a nuisance or be injurious or detrimental to the public interest, health, safety, convenience, or welfare, or materially injurious to persons, property, or improvements in the vicinity and zoning district in which the property is located.

Our clients are constantly supervised and kept busy with the recovery process. Our facility will produce very little traffic as our clients do not have vehicles. Our clients are sober while at the facility. Our facility directly improves the health and safety of the community. The assertion that our clients will negatively affect the public interest, health, safety, convenience, or welfare, or be materially injurious to persons, property, or improvements in the vicinity are based solely on their membership in a protected class of disabled persons. It is not only wrong, but illegal for the city to use such prejudice, stereotypes, and unsubstantiated fears as justification for denial of our minor use permit application.

The Planning and Economic Development Department have endorsed our project and recommended issuance of a minor use permit with minimal conditions, which we accept. See below for their recommendations.

Conditions of approval

Our in depth presentation about the day-to-day operation of our program and the intended use should serve as adequate proof that such concerns are not based in reality and have no bearing on this administrative process.

Discrimination and The Americans with Disabilities Act and Federal Fair Housing Act.

As recovering addicts and alcoholics, our future clients are protected by several pieces of longstanding federal legislation and are guaranteed the same rights and access to housing and services as anyone else. As their representatives we indent to make sure they have those rights and access to quality addiction treatment.

Any decision about this project must be made according to the five findings outlined above and our permit application, as well as any substantive concerns arising from the proposed operation and logistics of our plan. It also bears mentioning that members of a protected class are guaranteed a right to reasonable accommodation from any issues arising from these proceedings.

What types of land use and zoning laws or practices violate the Fair Housing Act?
Examples of state and local land use and zoning laws or practices that may violate the Act include:

  • Imposing restrictions on housing because of alleged public safety concerns that are based on stereotypes about the residents’ or anticipated residents’ membership in a protected class, by, for example, requiring a proposed development to provide additional security measures based on a belief that persons of a particular protected class are more likely to engage in criminal activity.
  • Refusing to provide reasonable accommodations to land use or zoning policies when such accommodations may be necessary to allow persons with disabilities to have an equal opportunity to use and enjoy the housing, by, for example, denying a request to modify a setback requirement so an accessible sidewalk or ramp can be provided for one or more persons with mobility disabilities.

Does a state or local government violate the Fair Housing Act if it considers the fears or prejudices of community members when enacting or applying its zoning or land use laws respecting housing?
When enacting or applying zoning or land use laws, state and local governments may not act because of the fears, prejudices, stereotypes, or unsubstantiated assumptions that community members may have about current or prospective residents because of the residents’ protected characteristics. Doing so violates the Act, even if the officials themselves do not personally share such bias. For example, a city may not deny zoning approval for a low-income housing development that meets all zoning and land use requirements because the development may house residents of a particular protected class or classes whose presence, the community fears, will increase crime and lower property values in the surrounding neighborhood. Similarly, a local government may not block a group home or deny a requested reasonable accommodation in response to neighbors’ stereotypical fears or prejudices about persons with disabilities or a particular type of disability. Of course, a city council or zoning board is not bound by everything that is said by every person who speaks at a public hearing. It is the record as a whole that will be determinative.
Who qualifies as a person with a disability under the Fair Housing Act?
The Fair Housing Act defines a person with a disability to include (1) individuals with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities; (2) individuals who are regarded as having such an impairment; and (3) individuals with a record of such an impairment.

The term “physical or mental impairment” includes, but is not limited to, diseases and conditions such as orthopedic, visual, speech and hearing impairments, cerebral palsy, autism, epilepsy, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, HIV infection, developmental disabilities, mental illness, drug addiction (other than addiction caused by current, illegal use of a controlled substance), and alcoholism.

https://www.justice.gov/opa/file/912366/download

Below is a summary of concerns we have received from community members and our responses.

1. This program is located too close to a school, which is a bad thing, because addicts seeking treatment will bother the children and/or are unsafe to be around them.
There is no restriction on proximity of community care facilities to schools anywhere in the zoning code. This accusation is baseless.

Furthermore, as a father in recovery with two young children and a third on the way I take particular offense at this suggestion. I owe my life, my family, and everything I have to a facility like the one we are proposing. I bring my young girls with me to work once a week. They love interacting with our staff and clients. Our clients are not just “drug addicts”: they are loving parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and siblings. To suggest that because our clients are seeking treatment for a diagnosable behavior health condition, they are somehow unfit to be within ½ a mile of children, is absurd.

Our current detox facility has been located directly behind an elementary school in Santa Rosa for two years. A six foot fence separates our clients from the soccer field at the school and the children on the playground. I called the principal of that elementary school and asked her if she knew that there was a 6 bed detoxification facility behind the school. She had no idea.

Our clients are sober, supervised, and absolutely safe to receive treatment within any distance of children in our community. My experience tells me you won’t even notice us.

2. This program will lead to an influx of homeless and vagrants in the area.
Below are 5 facts which disprove this assertion.

Our program is structured, community oriented, safe, and a therapeutic environment.

We provide 24/hour supervision of clients.

Our program has 100% voluntary admission. No court ordered or paroled clients.

We only accept private pay and private insurance clients.

We conduct rigorous screening for mental health, general health, family dynamics, and criminal background. No sex offenders and no violent felons.

3. This project will negatively impact the community.
On the contrary. Pura Vida provides a much needed service to individuals struggling with substance abuse. There is currently one other private residential recovery program and no existing private detoxification facility in the City of Santa Rosa, and the addiction rate continues to rise. As a result many clients who need detoxification services end burdening emergency department capacity as well as local hospital and healthcare staff, or worse, unable to find the help they need before it is too late.
4. This program will draw undesirable people to the community for medications.
Pura Vida is not a methadone or suboxone clinic and does not deliver medications to clients on-site in the same way those types of programs do.
5. The proposed building is unsuitable for housing such a facility.
The area we propose to use for detoxification and residential treatment is actually perfect for such a facility.

It is located above businesses we will have no impact on.

It is in a commercial island separated from residential homes by a substantial distance.

The housing units themselves offer a level of comfort and space that most treatment centers would envy.

The use is consistent with the zoning code and the general plan (Small community care facilities allowed by right).

The facility is not directly in a residential neighborhood and will not affect parking, traffic, or any other aspect of the Skyhawk Community.

The Planning and Economic Development Department has recommended issuance of our permit.

In addition to this recommendation, I have had several conversations about our use with a wise and experienced Santa Rosa resident. Dick Carlisle has over 20 years of experience on the Santa Rosa planning commission and design review board, is the president of Save Bennet Valley Golf Course, and was one of the developers of both 5761 Mountain Hawk Drive and the Skyhawk Community. I can’t think of anyone more knowledgeable about the intended use of our building as it relates to the neighborhood and community as a whole. He has expressed to me that he believes the building is perfect for our use and will have negligible negative impact on the community.

6. The addition of this facility would negatively affect safe egress during a fire emergency.
The number of clients in the building will be similar to the number of residential tenants living in the building when we purchased it.

Staff will be required to park on Highway 12.

Clients will not have vehicles and would be transported away from the facility in 2 vans in the event of an emergency.

If anything, this would improve egress from the Skyhawk Community in the event of an emergency evacuation by reducing total traffic.

In previous evacuations our clients have been helpful to neighbors, going as far as helping neighbors evacuate their pets and load belongings into their cars.

7. Pura Vida is not licensed or accredited by the state.
False. Pura Vida Recovery Services is licensed and certified by the California Department of Health Care Services and accredited by The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.
8. This facility is not conducive for sober living.
There is not, nor will there be, a proposal to house sober living clients at 5761 Mountain Hawk Drive for several reasons:

A. Pura Vida Sober Living Homes(PVSLH) is a separate company, with a separate staff. PVSLH residents do not have to attend treatment at Pura Vida Recovery Services and vice versa. PVSLH does not own the building

B. Sober living is not classified in the city code any differently than residential housing and does not require zoning or planning approval.

C. The building will be occupied by Pura Vida Recovery Services and will not support additional housing for PVSLH.

9. A short term program will bring people with no ties to the community into Skyhawk.
PVRS is not a short term program. A client who completes our entire program can be in our care for over 7 months, including over 3 months at the Mountain Hawk location. Our goal is to help everyone complete the full program.
10. What is the program’s success rate?
Any addiction treatment center that advertises a success rate is lying to you. If there was a treatment modality with a 90% success rate we would hardly need treatment centers at all. Unfortunately, addiction is one of the most deadly and challenging diseases to treat. Attempts to determine a success rate are confounded by multiple factors. Those who “succeed” end up with jobs, families, and full lives with little time for stopping by their old treatment center to let you know they are still sober. Those who end up relapsing are more likely to show up again needing help.

Additionally, there is the question of how to define success. Does everyone who comes to treatment need to stay sober from all substances for the rest of their lives? Does an opiate addict need to never drink a beer again? Does an alcoholic who stops drinking need to refuse pain medication after a surgery?

Pura Vida does follow up with clients to gain insight into our program and get better, but we do not attempt to aggregate a success or failure rate for the reasons described above.

11. What type of person goes to Pura Vida for treatment?
Pura Vida is licensed to provide addiction treatment to anyone who’s primary diagnosis is substance use disorder.

We can also help treat clients with secondary behavioral health diagnosis such as bipolar, depression, or anxiety in certain cases.

We carefully screen every new applicant to ensure that our staff and program has the tools needed to treat the individual.

If we do not have those tools, we make a referral to the appropriate level of care.

Clients either pay cash or use their private insurance for our services.

Our mission has always been to be affordable. Our program provides the highest quality treatment for a fraction of the cost of similar treatment centers in the area. In order to be accessible to as many clients as possible Pura Vida has partnered with community members to provide nearly $200,000 in scholarships to our program over the past two years.

12. The proposed project will have a negative effect on the businesses currently located at 5761 Mountain Hawk and negatively affect home values in the area.
Our current location in Santa Rosa has had the opposite effect on our neighbors. Our clients and staff have become regular customers with neighboring businesses. Pura Vida has even partnered with some of these neighbors to provide routine services for our clients. We have submitted letters of support from these neighbors which affirm these statements. There have never been any issues with vandalism, crime, or any other nuisance.

There is no evidence to suggest that an addiction treatment center negatively affects property values in the surrounding area.

13. Why would an addiction treatment center want to be located next to a bar or establishments that sell alcohol?
In a perfect world, we may not choose to be located next to a restaurant with a bar but our experience has shown that it will not be an issue for either the restaurant or our clients. Our current location was located directly next to a bar and restaurant for 4 years. We have never had a single issue with a client going to get a drink or relapsing there. But we have had several people from the bar wander over to ask us about quitting drinking.
14. There is not enough parking on site.
The application we have submitted is requesting 24 community care beds and one accessory office. Based on the zoning code, section 20-36.040 Number of parking spaces required. (qcode.us), we are required to provide 9 spaces. Our plan provides for far more spaces than this.

I hope that we can move forward with support from the entire community. We will continue to work tirelessly to make sure anyone who needs our help can get it.

Additional information about our project can be found at www.pvrecovery.com/mountainhawk and direct questions can be emailed to me at [email protected]. I will do my best to answer them in a timely matter, but I am very busy at the moment being a business owner, a husband, a dad, and a man in recovery. May God bless you all.

Sincerely,

Alex Wignall, David Wignall, Ben Pahlavan

Detox and Residential

Timeline

As soon as possible

Facility and Beds

Up to 24 residential beds. 12 bedrooms, 12 bathrooms, 8,400sf.

New facility floor plan

Staffing

24/7 – 365 days/year

MD, Clinical Psychologists, Registered Nurses, Registered and Certified Addiction Counselors, Certified Medical Assistants, Treatment Technicians.

Common Misconceptions

1. Drug addicts and alcoholics will be roaming the area unsupervised.

Our clients are supervised 24 hours per day, seven days per week and 365 days per year. All onsite activities will be conducted within the building located at 5761 Mountain Hawk Dr. Off-site activities are facilitated by our experienced staff. Pura Vida provides transportation to and from these events.

2. This project will be bussing in homeless individuals and vagrants.

Pura Vida provides Detox and Residential Substance Abuse Treatment to individuals with private health insurance, some Medical and Medicaid plans, and those that pay out of pocket. We are not a county or government funded organization.

3. This project will negatively impact the community.

On the contrary. Pura Vida provides a much needed service to individuals struggling with substance abuse. There are currently no other private Detoxification or Residential Recovery Programs in the City of Santa Rosa, and the addiction rate continues to rise.

4. This program will draw undesirable people to the community for medications.

Pura Vida is not a methadone or suboxone clinic and does not deliver medications to clients on-site in the same way those types of programs do.

5. This program will bring criminals and mentally unwell people into the neighborhood.

Pura Vida is a Substance Abuse Treatment Facility. That diagnosis is the primary concern for anyone admitted to its program. While addiction and mental health issues often go hand in hand, we are not a Behavioral Health Facility or a Half-Way House for the prison system. Pura Vida must maintain a safe environment for our staff and clients. In order to do so all incoming clients are vigorously screened for mental health conditions which require treatment outside of our purview and for violent or sexual felonies.

Accreditations & Memberships

calregional logo dhcs logo harper rand logo recovery transportation systems logo joint commission logo

Get Started Today!

Call us now for a confidential pre-admission screening. 1-707-879-8432