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Planning commission recommends council approve Granite Wellness rezone and use permit to add withdrawal management beds
Summary
The commission recommended the City Council approve rezoning and a conditional use permit to allow withdrawal management and to convert part of Granite Wellness's campus to 16 additional residential treatment beds; the recommendation passed with three yes votes, one abstention and no nays.
The City of Grass Valley Planning Commission on April 15 recommended that the City Council approve a rezone and conditional use permit for Granite Wellness Centers, a substance use treatment provider, to allow withdrawal management services and expand inpatient residential capacity on an existing 3.31-acre parcel.
Amy Wolfson, City Planner, told commissioners the application seeks to rezone a portion of the property from Central Business (C2) to Community Business (C1) because the municipal code allows the proposed medical extended-care withdrawal management use in C1 with a use permit but not in C2. The project is described as a downzone to a less intensive commercial zone and would not require external construction beyond interior improvements necessary for inpatient services.
Dr. Victoria Blacksmith, clinical psychologist and CEO of Granite Wellness Centers, described the campus as composed of three buildings: an outpatient building, a 40-bed residential facility (20 men, 20 women, plus up to 12 children) and a smaller building used currently for recovery residents (transitional housing). She said the proposal would convert that smaller building to 16 additional residential treatment beds and provide 24-hour clinical and medical staffing for withdrawal management. She told commissioners that 61% of the people served at the location are Nevada County residents and that Granite holds contracts with multiple surrounding counties.
Wolfson and Dr. Blacksmith said no new exterior buildings are proposed; work would be interior to accommodate the inpatient medical services. Dr. Blacksmith said Sutter Health paid the application fees and will fund necessary interior upgrades. She estimated staffing increases that could include two additional counselors, one therapist, six support staff and three additional medical staff to support the expanded residential program.
A public commenter, Matthew Coulter, urged the commission to require attention to fire hazards on property behind the facility, noting camping and combustible brush near trails that he said posed wildfire risk during fire season.
After questions about transitional housing displacement and how Granite would relocate existing recovery residents, commissioners voted to recommend approval to the City Council. The commission recorded three votes in favor, one abstention and no opposing votes.
