Drug rehab house not the best idea for Old Agoura




Home-based addiction and recovery centers are common in Malibu, but there have been no such facilities in Agoura Hills—until now.

Seasons Agoura opened recently and houses patients and staff in a leased home in Old Agoura. The state-licensed facility uses a 5,600-square-foot residence on quiet Lapworth Drive—much to the chagrin of neighbors who worry that having a drug and alcohol recovery center on their block will deflate property values and create disruption.

People battling drug or alcohol addiction are entitled to a second chance, and what better way to start anew than by living in a comfortable neighborhood rather than a clinic or hospital. Seasons Agoura is a respected facility with a highly educated staff on hand to guide patients through their recovery. Ownership promises to “be a good neighbor” and keep its clients under control. We disagree with the inappropriate comment by Old Agoura HOA president Jess Thomas, who calls substance abusers people with “selfinflicted disabilities.” Experts say addiction is a disease, and it doesn’t come by choice.

But the neighbors are still wary. They didn’t buy their homes with the expectation that recovering drug and alcohol addicts would be living next door. A senior living home or even a transitional home for foster children doesn’t devalue home prices in a neighborhood. A rehab center that is dealing with addiction issues, on the other hand, is seen as less than family-friendly. Moreover, the homes on Lapworth Drive in Old Agoura are fairly close to one another, which means that when patients are restless and can’t sleep, the lights go on, the dogs bark and the neighbors are disturbed. Recovering addicts often smoke cigarettes, and Old Agoura residents have noticed cigarette butts strewn about. Patients check in and out of the home regularly and unfamiliar cars and faces come and go.

In Malibu, the proliferation of luxury rehab homes is altering the character of entire neighborhoods. The city is trying to tighten its law to prevent multiple facilities from opening in the same location, but it’s been a losing battle in court, one official told us. In Agoura, there are questions about the treatment itself. Patients are given intense one-on-one therapy during the first week, but then they go to the beach, go horseback riding and take other jaunts. In the home, they’re given gourmet meals and receive massage and acupuncture sessions to soothe their anxieties. The cost can be up to $30,000 a month.

We all know somebody who’s faced addiction problems. They need safe and effective rehab lodging, but not if it means disrupting local neighborhoods. The rehab centers belong in commercially, not residentially zoned areas, especially in smaller cities such as Agoura Hills.



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