Rentals added to recovery home delay

The lobbying efforts of Newport Beach residents to stem the influx of drug and alcohol recovery homes may bear fruit tonight, when the City Council considers a short-term moratorium on the facilities.

The measure also puts a moratorium on new permits for short-term lodging in residentially-zoned areas, such as summer rentals. That addition means city leaders may hear criticisms from two sides — people who want to offer short-term rentals, and residents who fear linking the summer rental issue to rehab facilities could sink the moratorium.

Residents say drug recovery homes are changing the character of their neighborhoods with their transient populations, and that they generate noise, traffic problems and sometimes crime. Some have been asking the council for a moratorium for several months, pointing to other cities such as Murrieta that temporarily have blocked drug recovery facilities.

A moratorium starts at 45 days and gives the city time to look at the impact of facilities with populations that change often, like recovery facilities, sober living homes and short-term rentals. It would block new facilities from opening, but existing ones could continue to operate and property owners who already have permits for short-term rentals wouldn’t be affected.

Newport Beach City Atty. Robin Clauson said the city’s outside legal counsel advised including the rentals to avoid the appearance of discriminating against drug recovery facilities, which enjoy some state and federal protections.

“We can’t discriminate against the one type of use over other similar types of uses,” Clauson said.

While short-term rentals haven’t been brought up as a problem recently, some advocates for drug rehab homes have said the two types of facilities aren’t much different, but they’re being singled out, Newport Beach Mayor Steve Rosansky said.

Clauson also expects the comparison to be made.

“I think it’s something the city needs to address head-on that if they’re different, why are they different,” she said.

Some people who lobbied for a moratorium aren’t happy with what’s proposed. Bringing summer rentals into the issue just muddies the waters and could make it easier for the council to reject the moratorium altogether, resident Lori Morris said.

“We as residents have spent $35,000 to get legal help in addressing this issue, bringing it to the council,” she said. “For them to change it to add on something that we never asked for is not acceptable.”

Rosansky said he hasn’t heard from any drug recovery representatives about the moratorium, but he’s already heard complaints from summer rental providers.

“The problem with this is there are no easy answers,” Rosansky said. “Every answer is a difficult answer.”