Hello, I am Alex Wignall, one of the owners and operators of Pura Vida Recovery Services.
I would like to start by thanking everyone who has shown support for our project. Most notably our immediate neighbors at the project location: Joe Zeblewki the owner of Massage Envy, Patrick Kam the owner of Anytime Fitness, Bob Duffield the owner of the Edward Jones office, Collene Falconer the owner of Colleen’s Coffee Shop, and Ken LaFranchi the owner of the entire neighboring building. These neighbors all have a vested financial interest in the operation of their respective businesses, with whom we share common space and parking.
Given the level of opposition our project has faced, it was no small gesture for them to publicly support our project. It is a testament to the good faith in which we have worked together to foster true neighborly relationships and 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.
Secondly we would like to thank David Chen for acting as a community liaison in our efforts to reach out to the community to provide outreach and educational opportunities.
Over the past months we have held four public meetings which were attended by members of the Leadership Team at Pura Vida for this purpose. Dr. Chen graciously notified his sizable community email list of these opportunities, and we also posted public signs next to the Notice of Public Hearing signs, as well as flyers at Colleen’s Coffee shop. Two meetings were held in person at Colleen’s Coffee shop, which she generously offered for that purpose, and two were held via video conference at the suggestion of Dr. Chen.
While the turnout was disappointing, we were notified by several members of the community that they were aware of the meetings and their neighbors were too.
I want to take a few minutes to address some misconceptions about our program that we have heard:
1. NO Change in Service: The proposed 24-bed facility would provide the exact same services that the current 6 bed facility has provided for nearly 3 years- No outpatient or medication assisted treatment like a walk-up methadone clinic
2. Neighborhood Effects: There have been no complaints reported to the City, Pura Vida or neighboring businesses or landlords. Further, there have been no law enforcement calls for service relative to our residents, and many members of the surrounding community have not even noticed our operations. Our other locations have likewise generated no complaints or calls for service. The Police Department and Fire Departments have both reviewed our application for safety and approved it.
3. Neighboring Businesses: The proposed use will not affect the existing business at the center. The facility will only use the existing 7 residential units upstairs.
4. Supervision: Residents are supervised by between 4 and 6 staff members 24 hours a day
5. Traffic: A professional Trip Generation Memo found that our use will have no increase on traffic and may reduce traffic from 5761 Mountain Hawk Dr
6. How does Pura Vida manage security: Pura Vida maintains an active and unblemished license from the California Department of Healthcare Services as well as an active and unblemished accreditation from the Joint Commission. These regulatory bodies have sole authority to govern the operation of facilities of our type. They require strict guidelines for client safety. By operating a non-medical adult residential addiction treatment facility Pura Vida is obligated to operate under these guidelines and hold ourselves to the highest standard in order to maintain a safe and effective treatment environment for our clients and neighbors. This includes policies and procedures of the highest standard for client intake, admission, privacy, and discharge.
7. The operation of our program does not fit the definition of CN zoning.
City staff, the Planning Commission, and the City Attorney’s office have reviewed our application. None of them have raised objections to the suitability of our use given the zoning.
CN (Neighborhood Commercial) district. The CN zoning district is applied to areas within and adjacent to residential neighborhoods appropriate for limited retail and service centers for convenience shopping. Uses in these centers are intended to provide for the day-to-day needs of local neighborhoods and workplaces, but not to be of such scope and variety as to attract substantial traffic volumes from outside the neighborhood. New development is encouraged to include both a residential and nonresidential component as noted by Section 20-23.030 (Commercial district land uses and permit requirements). The CN zoning district is consistent with and implements the Neighborhood Shopping Center land use classification of the General Plan.
Pura Vida Recovery Services has no intention of changing any portion of commercial use of the building located at 5761 Mountain Hawk Dr. The businesses there will continue to serve the day-to-day needs of the local neighborhood and workplaces. In fact, several of these businesses, notably the gym and massage spa would have the opportunity to serve new, additional members of the community living and receiving treatment for their addictions upstairs. All of the commercial businesses have provided letters of support for our project.
Logically, apartments cannot, in any interpretation, provide for the day-to-day needs of local neighborhoods and workplaces. Their use as residential apartments, however, will remain the same. As a nonmedical residential facility, Pura Vida Recovery Services will continue to provide residential accommodation for up to 24 members of the community, including any immediate neighbors who may need our services.
8. Traffic During Emergency Evacuation: As the trip generation memo and analysis by the city traffic engineer show, our operation will have an imperceptible impact of traffic.
Additionally the
Claims by the appellant to the contrary are baseless.
9. Smoking/Noise: Pura Vida Recovery Services will abide by the City of Santa Rosa zoning ordinance as it pertains to the project location. We have had, are going to continue, a discussion with the planning department to find a reasonable solution. We are open to conditions as it pertains to this issue.
10. Loss of affordable housing stock: None of the 7 apartments at the project location are currently designated as affordable housing. In addition, the housing stock will not be lost. It will be used to house 24 members of the community in a residential setting.
Many concerns sent to the city via email center around vagrants, vandalism, criminal activity, property values, and danger to schoolchildren. These have been left unaddressed until now because I think we can all agree that they are baseless, discriminatory and according to our nearly three years of operational success, false. The proposed project will continue to have no negative impact on the residential neighborhoods near our program.
Our community is not immune to the effects of our Country’s broader addiction crisis. In fact, Sonoma County just lost one of its longest standing and largest residential addiction treatment facilities in the past month when Azure Acres closed its doors, eliminating 50+ available beds. We hope to help fill that gap and allow our neighbors a place to land when they need it most.
Pura Vida has been a pillar in the treatment community in Santa Rosa for 10 years. Our reputation is one of quality addiction treatment and neighborly conduct. Our only goal is to continue to quietly and effectively treat struggling members of our community.
In fact, Pura Vida was just voted Best Treatment Facility in the North Bay by the Bohemian.
It is our hope that the Planning Commission sees the value in our work, the quality of our proposal, and recognizes the years of quality service we have provided and votes to approve this life-saving project.
Finally, I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the support we have received.
Our work can often times seem unrewarding, but it means the world to us that you took time out of our busy lives to be here to support us.