Hundreds turn out to oppose plan for post-detox center
LAKEWAY — More than 250 residents gathered for a heated town hall meeting Wednesday night at the city’s Activity Center, most to protest plans for a 24-room post-detox facility that is proposed for a site near Lakeway Elementary School and a residential facility for senior citizens.
The two-story Recovery Ways facility would be built on undeveloped land on Lohmans Crossing Road, adjacent to the school and near a residential area. Some Lakeway officials, including Mayor Dave Deome, also aren’t in favor of the project, and the City Council will meet in executive session at 4 p.m. Friday to discuss the city’s legal options.
On Wednesday afternoon, Maryann Rosenthal, executive director of Murray, Utah-based Recovery Ways, said in a phone interview that the facility would provide therapy and counseling to help clients reconnect with themselves and their families.
“I want to add as much clarity as I can to making people understand what we do,” said Rosenthal, who flew in to meet with the residents. “People need information, and they need education to make an informed decision.”
She said Recovery Ways had similar issues in opening its Utah facility. “We ran into the same resistance until we explain what we do, and we’re able to overcome that,” she said.
The Lakeway facility, which would be an unlocked center for people who have been through detox, would be Recovery Ways’ second facility.
Several Lakeway officials, including Deome and City Manager Steve Jones, were at the tense meeting. Residents called out and yelled at Rosenthal and Jones and raised questions during the Recovery Ways presentation. Many residents asked why they weren’t told about the facility, and many said the center should be located at the new Lakeway Regional Medical Center campus on RM 620.
At one point in the meeting, Rosenthal told residents that she is flexible on the location for the facility.
Resident Cindy Crowell said she wished city and Recovery Ways officials had alerted the community in advance.
“They are not welcomed in the area they selected,” she said after the meeting. “Obviously it has hit everyone in Lakeway with a bad taste in their mouth. For it to come out the way it did, it didn’t start them out on a good note.”
Meanwhile, Deome said Wednesday that because of this situation, the city is looking at updating its zoning rules. The current zoning rules for commercial spaces allow for facilities such as nursing homes, convalescent facilities and assisted living housing without much initial input from the city. Deome said the original Recovery Ways application said the property would be used for a convalescent home, and the project was thus never discussed by the planning commission or City Council.
“When you look at that in hindsight, that appears to be a flaw,” Deome said. He said city staffers are working with legal advisers to fix the zoning language and require a thorough city review of certain commercial projects.
“There was never a healthy public discussion of what this really was,” he said. “We have a lemon here. What do we do with it?”
According to its website, Recovery Ways offers services for chemical dependency and mood disorders. It uses treatments such as spiritual development, counseling, and yoga and meditation. Rosenthal said patients come to Recovery Ways after they are clean and are trying to get their lives back on track.
“One of the biggest misconceptions is that people who abuse substance are criminals,” Rosenthal said. “Some of them are. Most of them are not. They are just like you and me and everybody else. ... People are watching too much ‘Law & Order.’ We want it to be a beautiful building right in line with all of the homes that are right there. I want this to be a win-win for the community. ”