RED HOOK — A 30-bed upscale rehabilitation facility with a self-pay model is slated to open in Red Hook next year — but some locals say they've been misled about the project.
Almost three years ago, Michael Mosberg and Johan Sorensen presented plans for Urban Recovery House, a high-end alcohol and drug rehab facility they planned to build at 110 Beard St. between Richards and Van Brunt streets.
The 20,000 square-foot boutique facility, they said at the time, would charge upwards of $50,000 for its 28-day treatment program. The team attended public meetings in December 2013 and February 2014 and said they planned to work closely with the community for free alcohol and drug screenings, local hiring efforts and partnering with neighborhood organizations.
The Urban Recovery House website now redirects to The Hook Recovery Center website, where Mosberg is listed as founder and CEO. Sorensen, who will serve as clinical director, and Cal Nathan are listed as principals.
The Hook will be a 30-bed inpatient facility for "self-pay clientele" with a six-bed intensive detox unit as well as an outdoor space, music studio, a business suite, a fitness center and yoga studio, according to its website.
"Currently, there are no upscale rehab options for patients seeking recovery in New York City," the website says.
The program will feature group and one-on-one therapy, lectures and other services "by combining the benefits of the traditional 12-step program of recovery with individualized care that is innovative and cutting edge."
"The facility will provide residential treatment service for individuals recovering from addiction," the website reads.
Mosberg was not available to comment despite multiple requests for interviews in the past week.
Some local residents say they feel misled by the rehab's management, who the community has not heard from since December 2013.
Permits were approved last month at 411 Van Brunt St. — around the corner from 110 Beard St. — for a new five-story hotel and ambulatory diagnostic treatment health care center. Construction equipment has recently been moved to that location.
Despite reports of a "hotel" coming to the site, residents say the property is actually part of the rehab "under the guise of being a hotel."
"We have thought since January that it was a hotel," said Ron Kyle, who owns DryDock, a wine and spirits shop across the street from the apparent rehab site. "If you are bringing a business into the community, you should tell the community. You shouldn't lie."
"It's not about the drug rehab. It's about how you engage the community," Kyle said.
It is unclear whether The Hook Recovery Center plans to use both 110 Beard St. and 411 Van Brunt St.
"The way it was handled was very shabby," longtime Red Hook leader John McGettrick said Wednesday night at the Red Hook Civic Association meeting.
"Why there were no hearings in the community ... is still unclear," he said of the current project. "Who misled the public and why?"
