Council Upholds Approval for Skyhawk Recovery Center After Hourslong Hearing

Santa Rosa's City Council on March 25 upheld a Planning Commission decision to approve a 24-bed community care facility for addiction treatment at 5761 Mountain Hawk Drive, rejecting two appeals after a multi-hour public hearing.

The project would convert seven existing residential units above a commercial center in Skyhawk Village into non-medical residential addiction treatment housing. Planning staff told the council the proposal complies with zoning and General Plan 2050, and that the project was analyzed under CEQA exemptions for infill and consistency with an adopted plan. The Planning Commission approved the minor conditional use permit in November by a 4-2 vote; two appeals followed.

Opponents, organized as Skyhawk United and joined by dozens of neighborhood residents, told the council the site is the wrong place for an expanded facility. David Chen, spokesperson for Skyhawk United, said the project would transform a neighborhood-serving shopping center into “a regional institutional hub,” and raised safety and evacuation issues because the building sits near Highway 12 and school walking routes. Appellants and several nearby homeowners also pointed to experience at an existing Pure Vita…