Planning commissioners approve drug treatment center

In an emotionally charged public hearing focused on the nature of addiction and those who seek help, a local nonprofit scored a major win for future operations in Carson City.

On Wednesday, the Carson City Planning Commission voted 6-0 (with Commissioner Nathaniel Killgore absent) to approve a Vitality Unlimited special use permit for a new 36-bed, 9,200-square-foot residential substance use disorder treatment center. on a vacant retail commercial property. at 1625 Vista Lane, south of Carson Tahoe Regional Medical Center.

Vitality Unlimited operates a residential treatment center in the Carson City Health and Human Services building on Long Street and received $3 million (ARPA dollars) from the state plus a $500,000 commitment from Carson City (also ARPA dollars) for the move. The city has indicated a need for more space in the HHS building, according to Sarah Adler, a spokeswoman for Project Vitality. Adler told the appeal that ARPA funding must be secured by the end of the year.

Planning commissioners’ decision came after numerous public comments, mostly from neighbors in the Silver Oak area south of the proposed treatment center. More than a dozen letters were submitted as overdue material, most of which were against the project. One document contained more than 60 signatures of opposition residents.

More than two dozen people spoke in person at Wednesday’s hearing. Opponents included residents, neighboring tenants and property owners in the medical park, which adjoins a golf course between commercial properties and residential buildings to the south. Concerns ranged from fears of increased crime and privacy concerns to the project’s impact on property values.

Many speakers shared personal experiences with those struggling with addiction.

“And the last thing I want to do is disparage these types of facilities and the need in our community for these types of facilities,” said Silver Oak resident Michael Hartman. “I have a brother who has been treated five times. He eventually became a drug and alcohol counselor. I understand the need for this kind of project; It’s not my problem. My problem is the fit. This doesn’t fit. This doesn’t fit in with the neighbors at all. It doesn’t match the buildings next to it.”

The letter from Michelle Dudley, office manager of Carson Periodontics and Oral Surgery, located just west of the facility, raised safety concerns and the impact on existing clients.

“While we support initiatives to provide accessible drug rehabilitation services, we believe that the location of a drug treatment facility in close proximity to an existing dental practice with medication storage poses significant security and logistical challenges,” Dudley wrote on Oct. 29.

Carson real estate agent Heidi McFadden said Wednesday that she has sold most of the homes “that I believe are actually neighbors when they said there were no neighbors.”

“I believe this will impact property values ​​for those homeowners who moved into this particular area wanting to be close to medical facilities, and I don’t believe this falls under the same medical facility that they moved here for.” — McFadden. said, adding that she had personal experience with outdoor drug use at her office near the Mallory Behavioral Health Crisis Center in west Carson.

Those who supported the project, many Vitality employees, testified to the nonprofit’s positive reputation in the community, their high standards for accepting residential treatment (usually lasting 30 days), and their reluctance to accept abusers.

“I have battled my substance use disorder for over 10 years and now, thanks to the support I received through treatment, I have been sober for over six years and will be seven next month,” said Carson resident Marshall Gledhill. , drug trafficker and trafficker. Alcohol consultant working for Vitality.

Gledhill’s sustained addiction is a public health problem, not a moral failure.

“This new residential treatment center could be a lifeline for people here in Carson and surrounding communities who are facing one of the most difficult challenges a person can experience,” he said. “But what does it say about us as a community if we deny our neighbors a chance to get better?”

Two leaders in Carson offered some context surrounding addiction, crime and treatment.

Carson City Sheriff Ken Furlong used the crime map available at https://www.carson.org/government/departments-gz/sheriff-s-office/crime-in-our-area#ad-image-1 to show cases since the new financial year (July 1) around the current Vitality site and other sites in the city.

“I don’t want to say there’s no crime here, but there certainly haven’t been a lot of calls for service in the first third of this year,” Furlong said Wednesday of Vitality’s current location. “They usually don’t meet. This is a fairly quiet area. Nothing special is happening.”

Carson Tahoe Health CEO Michelle Joy spoke about CTH’s work in the area.

“I would also like to add that the hospital, as well as our clinic on Vista Lane, are located in the same area as the proposed Vitality facility,” Joy wrote. “We often see the same people in our emergency department and in the inpatient setting, sometimes for long periods of time, while they are receiving treatment for acute substance use disorders (SUDs).

“We also treat non-acute SUD patients at our existing rehabilitation center in the old hospital, which is also located in a residential area. The hospital’s long-term plan is to relocate and consolidate our behavioral health services, including inpatient, outpatient and crisis stabilization, to our main campus with a new treatment center adjacent to the Sierra Building. People who seek treatment at Vitality are often the same people who are already receiving care at our facilities in the area.”

Planning commissioners were confident in Vitality’s operations, subject to the condition that the SUP was non-transferable. Commissioners also ordered the construction of an 8-foot, non-wood, opaque fence or wall around the courtyard of the new facility to protect neighbors to the south. And after Planning Commission Chairwoman Teri Preston inquired about whether the property would be taken off the tax rolls, Vitality issued another condition: They would not seek tax exemption for the property.

“I know we can guarantee you good service and good management,” Vitality CEO Esther Quilici told the panel. “I don’t know about the next company. For us, this is the legacy of the project. It’s not something we’re trying to make and then sell. We wouldn’t do that.”

Vitality also said it will work on design elements that will help address privacy concerns.

Preston, who lives in Silver Oak, said local residents have made “significant investments” in the area and she’s concerned it will impact property values; however, with additional approval conditions, Preston supported the SUP.

Planning Commissioner Greg Brooks sympathized with neighbors but said the planning commission is not a police agency. He added a personal message about seeing his sister and people in his church freed from substance abuse.

“It doesn’t bother me that they’re 300 feet from my house,” he said. “I don’t worry about them being in my living room. I understand fear. As I said, I would feel this fear myself. I don’t think fear should be the reason we say, “We don’t want this in our community.”

In another action:

• Planning commissioners voted 6-0 (with Killgore absent) to extend the SUP for an unrestricted gaming casino, bar and additional signage at the planned commercial retail development at 3246 N. Carson St. — near the old K-Mart building. recently received SUP approval for storage and commercial use.

Silver Bullet of Nevada LLC saw the original SUP approved in 2016, but the property was tied up in litigation. Sev Carlson, an attorney representing the applicant, said Silver Bullet is a tenant and not a party to a lawsuit involving the owners of the mall building. He explained that Silver Bullet wants to save the project and move forward whenever possible.

Planning commission members agreed with staff’s recommendation and extended the SUP for three years, through 2027, without giving permanent approval.