DERWOOD, Md. — It’s neighbor against neighbor in an affluent community in Montgomery County where horses roam freely on large estates. But the quiet enclave of Derwood has been embroiled in a battle over who should stay and who should go.
"When you change a community from something that is purely residential into something that is a for-profit business, the nature of the community changes,” said Alison Leary Miller.
A small group of neighbors told WUSA9 they’re concerned about the presence of a drug and alcohol rehab facility called The Valley that is operating several facilities within the Derwood community.
“They're building an enormous campus here,” said Craig Berrington, who lives in the neighborhood.
Some homeowners feel the rehab facility is impacting their lives negatively.
"It's convenient for them and uncomfortable for everyone else,” explained Sarah Grinder.
The founder of the Valley, James Peters, said the complaints are about something more calculated.
“It's Nimby: Not in my backyard,” said Peters who added his organization is providing people with second chances and hopes for a better life. “These human beings are no different than anybody you would encounter in daily life.”
At issue are three properties nestled in a cul-de-sac on Granby Court purchased by the organization over several years. The business wanted to expand on its existing Muncaster Road location. When it purchased the building from an assisted living residence, Montgomery County Permitting Services granted The Valley licenses to operate in a residential community with a "special exemption." They are restricted to no more than 16 clients at the Muncaster facility and no more than eight clients at the three houses on Granby Court, certificates from county showed.
“Montgomery County has laws that govern this entire thing,” Peters said. “We are completely in incompliance with this thing.”
Nearby homeowners claim, unlike the assisted living home, the presence of the drug and alcohol rehabilitation facilities drives down their property values, changes the character of the community and increases traffic.
"People who are coming to work don't have the same mindset I do when I know I'm driving through a neighborhood where I know there's little kids playing,” said one of the concerned homeowners.
During the two hours WUSA9 spent in the neighborhood, there was no traffic or cars going either in or out of the cul-de-sac. Additionally, none of the concerned homeowners could provide any evidence that their home values have declined since the company opened in 2015.
Grinder and her partner Raymin Diaz shared an email they received from Peters after they approached him about purchasing their home with an asking price of $1.4 million.
"Our presence makes your property worth less, not more,” said Peters in an email to Grinder. “We know all this and are still willing to pay you about $150,000 over what you could get on the open market, given our presence. If you want to sell it for $1,035,000, we will buy it."
Grinder admitted she and her partner made money after selling their house.
“I would say for the circumstances that we were under it was a fair offer,” she said.
The remaining homeowners in the community are not pleased that county officials have signed off for the treatment center to be located next to their backyards.
“There's no checks and balances in place, something's wrong,” Miller said.
The frustrated group even took their concerns to Montgomery County Councilwoman Dawn Luedtke.
WUSA9 reached out to the councilwoman for comment. She did not want to do an interview but in a statement, she said, "Our office has been working with the Montgomery County Department of Permitting Services to address the community's concerns and ensure all laws and regulations are being followed."
Peters provided WUSA9 with a tour of The Valley’s facilities. The drug and alcohol rehab facilities provides care based on a treatment model where clients are placed in a home setting rather than an institution where he says relapse rates are higher.
According to the National Institutes of Health, relapse rates for substance abuse programs, like the Valley, are nearly 45% compared to a relapse range of 56% to 85% for other treatment plans.
"When you're living in a community how you normally would live, it tends to last," Peters explained.
In the facilities operated by The Valley, including its main center on Muncaster Road and three individual houses on Granby Court, clients have access to counseling, therapy and support to keep them on the road to healing and recovery.
Peters keeps a book of "thank you" letters, emails, and other memorabilia from prior clients to keep him focused on providing more people with care and a chance to heal. So far, The Valley has helped 600 patients since opening, according to Peters.
However, the assistance provided by the Valley isn't enough to quell the concerns of nearby homeowners.
“For us, this is about buying up home after home after home and creating this large campus,” Miller said.
Peters argues that he has no further plans to purchase more houses in that community and is focused on providing a service to people who are in desperate need of healing.
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