The Planning Commission at its Oct. 7 meeting voted to recommend denial of a request from Portsmouth-based Urban Life Substance Abuse and Outpatient Services to operate the treatment home at 21 Royal St. in the Fairville area of the city. The roughly 1,300-square-foot home is located in an urban residential zoning district that allows low-to-medium-density development, surrounded by residents on all sides. It would serve individuals temporarily living there as they recover from alcohol and drug abuse.

Planning Commission members were concerned with potential safety nuisances and adequate space. But Portsmouth City Council will have the final say on the project when it comes up for a vote, tentatively slated for the Nov. 25 council meeting.

Planning staff recommended denial, noting in a memo that the property lacks adequate off-street parking space for guests, recreational space and sufficient landscape buffering.

“Overall, staff finds that the site is not suitable for the proposed intensity of use,” the memo states.

Joe Hector of Urban Life Substance Abuse and Outpatient Services told Planning Commission members the home, built in the 1940s, will accommodate up to six people, including a staff member working on-site around the clock. Hector likened it to a “group home” setting with individual and group therapy sessions, along with programming and resources focused on prevention and employment assistance.

Hector said clients are required to pass regular monthly drug tests and that 9 p.m. is the curfew for the residents and any guests, who can’t stay overnight. He added that since it’s a subsidy- and Medicaid-based practice, it will be overseen by the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services.

The city memo about the project states the property would feature indoor and outdoor surveillance cameras, along with an on-foot security presence. Staff are also trained in crisis intervention and prevention, Hector said. Residents of the treatment home would be unable to park personal vehicles and are instead required to use public transit or rideshares for transportation.

Hector said Urban Life Substance Abuse and Outpatient Services would lease the property from AKEI Investments and Holdings, which owns it and is located in Norfolk.

Several neighbors along Royal Street spoke at the planning commission meeting, urging denial due to safety concerns in an area with children and senior adults.

“I don’t want the first incident to be on Royal Street,” said Portsmouth resident Phyllis Brown, who lives on Royal Street. “Maybe this is not the right place for this type of facility at this time.”

Vice chair of the commission, Keith Curry, said he’s a certified substance abuse counselor who operates a similar treatment home. Though he ultimately voted against the project due to the voiced safety concerns, he emphasized the need to reduce the stigma that those suffering from addiction are violent or criminals. He said the goal is “making sure these people come back into society.”

“I hear everything you’re saying, but I do want us to make sure we walk away from this meeting with a different mindset of looking at people who are trying to heal and recover, like all of us, from some type of trauma,” Curry said.

Commission member Roy Melvin asked city staff to gather and provide data on the number of similar treatment facilities in the city and any related police reports to help City Council make an informed decision.

“I do understand the difference between a commercial and residential treatment center, so I understand why residential makes sense,” said commission member Occasio Gee. “But I do encourage you all to continue looking at Portsmouth — if this does not pass — for other facilities that might work.”

Natalie Anderson, 757-732-1133, natalie.anderson@virginiamedia.com