Locations and closure details revealed in Costa Mesa’s sober-living home agreement
The ink is dry on a pact between Costa Mesa and Solid Landings Behavioral Health that calls for the company to close its sober-living homes in the city and relocate its group counseling services to commercial and industrial areas by summer 2019.
The agreement was announced during the April 5 City Council meeting, but it wasn’t until Friday that everyone had officially signed it, according to city spokesman Tony Dodero.
City officials had given a general outline of what Mayor Steve Mensinger called a “major victory” — that Solid Landings had agreed to shut down all of its live-in facilities in Costa Mesa and end its legal fights with City Hall. But the document itself wasn’t available until Monday.
Per the arrangement, facilities at these 15 locations will close within the next month:
• 973 Arbor St.
• 3145 Boston Way
• 1143 Charleston St.
• 1174 Charleston St.
• 1055 Cheyenne St.
• 1252 Conway Ave.
• 3004 Coolidge Ave.
• 924 Dahlia St.
• 3044 Grant Ave.
• 2829 La Salle Ave.
• 2822 Monterey Ave.
• 13741 Olympic Ave.
• 1965 Orange Ave.
• 2190 Placentia Ave., Unit B
• 271 Walnut St.
Solid Landings also agreed to close shop at the following addresses by the end of 2018:
• 3107 Cassia Ave., Units A, B, C and D
• 725/727 Center St., Units A and B
• 382 Hamilton St., Units A and B
• 394 Hamilton St., Unit B
• 396 Hamilton St., Units A and B
• 697 Plumer St.
• 2068 Wallace Ave.
The company’s remaining live-in facilities — at 1811 Gisler Ave., 3072 and 3073 Madison Ave., and 3125 and 3129 Pierce Ave. — must close no later than June 30, 2019.
Solid Landings also agreed to relocate its group counseling facilities to 2729 Bristol St. and 2990 Airway Ave.
Those attending counseling sessions at those properties will be shuttled by van and will not be able to walk or drive to or from either location, the agreement states.
Sober-living homes house recovering drug and/or alcohol addicts. Critics have argued that they are disruptive to residential neighborhoods, contributing to noise, secondhand smoke and parking problems, among other ill effects.
“This is a major victory both for the residents of Costa Mesa and city officials who worked diligently on this issue for several years,” Mensinger said when the settlement was announced this month. “We have invested considerable resources in legal, law enforcement and code enforcement efforts to ensure a balance between our residents who deserve neighborhood peace and tranquillity and those who seek facilities to battle their addiction problems.”
As of January, city officials estimated there were 300 group homes in Costa Mesa, with about half of those thought to be related to the drug and alcohol rehabilitation industry.
Solid Landings also agreed to drop its legal fights with Costa Mesa, including a lawsuit attempting to strike down a city ordinance requiring sober-living homes in single-family neighborhoods to obtain special permits and be at least 650 feet from one another.
That ordinance is the subject of a second lawsuit filed by three plaintiffs, including another sober-living home operator called Yellowstone Recovery.
Steven Polin, the attorney for Yellowstone and its co-plaintiffs, said last week that there have been no recent talks to settle that suit, which alleges the restrictions discriminate against people recovering from drug and alcohol addictions.
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Twitter: @LukeMMoney
