Sobriety house ruins neighborhood serenity

Residents living in the vicinity of Mainmast Place in the Lake Lindero area of Agoura Hills are angry at the prospect of a home in their neighborhood being transformed into a sober living/drug rehabilitation residence.

At the Dec. 10 Agoura Hills City Council meeting, residents told city leaders that a transitional home or halfway house for recovering alcoholics and drug addicts was inappropriate for their neighborhood.

Owner Charles Knupp, 39, has lived at the home on 5615 Mainmast Place for most of his life. Knupp, his wife, Lisa, and his parents, Brad and Linda Knupp, recently moved to another community, which allowed the family to use the home for a rehab house.

Negative reaction from the community has forced the Knupps to rethink their plans.

Pete Petersons has lived on Mainmast since 1973. He said Knupp himself has only been sober for three months and was not qualified to run a transitional home for alcoholics. Petersons said 26 children live in the neighborhood and that a sober-living home would pose a threat to them.

Knupp, a sober living coach, would not comment on the length of his sobriety.

"If I say 10 years or two years or two months, it won't be enough for those who are critics," he said. "I have well over three months of sobriety."

Besides concerns about Knupp's past, some residents testified that the man is not academically qualified for the role.

Knupp believes otherwise.

Although he's completed the coursework at Oxnard College required for a certificate in Addictive Disorders Studies, and has successfully helped people "get sober and stay sober," he says the only credential needed to run a rehab house is the "desire to do so."

Todd Geller, who lives 500 feet from the home, believes parking would be a problem if the home is converted into a halfway house. Up to six adults would live there.

Residents testified that at one time the Knupps had brought at least 10 mattresses to the home to accomodate some 16 recovering alcoholics, drug addicts and recently released felons.

In a letter to city officials, Ryan Lee, who lives nearby on Captains Place, said Knupp claimed he could charge up to $4,000 per month per boarder if the home were an official halfway house.

Lisa Knupp told The Acorn the neighbors have been overreacting.

She said her husband was only exploring the possibility of transforming the home into a transitional house for recovering alcoholics. He has since given up on the idea of using the Mainmast home for that purpose and has already rented the property to a couple, she said.

Knupp said her husband is continuing to work with the city to find another Agoura Hills location for a sober-living home.

"We actually want to help the community, not hurt it," said Lisa Knupp.

"I still have every intention of opening a sober living, but want to do it right," Charles Knupp said. "This didn't feel right since I didn't have the city's approval."

The law might be in his favor, however.

"Per state law, residential care facilities of six or less residents must be allowed by right, and no special additional requirements beyond what is required for that zone can be imposed," Agoura Hills Planning Director Mike Kamino said.

The law is administered by the California Department of Social Services.

Eight senior living homes with six residents living in each residence are currently operating in the city, Kamino said. The owners of these homes did not require any special permits from the city. As for the Mainmast home, Kamino said he is still "checking into what specifically is being proposed by the Knupps, such as a live-in manager (or) treatment by licensed professionals."

The city attorney will determine how the state law applies to the Knupps' situation.

"I am an alcoholic and will always be an alcoholic," Charles Knupp said. "I hope that I can help others take an easier path than I had to take in order to learn that there is an answer and we all have a life worth living."