The second meeting of the Healdsburg Planning Commission takes place tonight, Tuesday evening, with three items on the agenda. One is a public workshop to be conducted after the first part of the meeting, related to the new housing laws that were introduced at City Council a few weeks back. This will be an overview and draft ordinances for the Planning Commission to review and provide feedback, with time for public comment, but no action is expected.
The officers for the Planning Commission are also expected to be chosen; the current chair is Conor McKay, and the vice chair is Stephen Barber.
But the real heart of the Sept. 23 meeting is anticipated to be the approval, or rejection, of a conditional use permit for The Ruse, at 891 Grove St., formerly known as the Honor Mansion.
Tuesday at 6pm, the Planning Commission will hear their latest pitch for a conditional use permit for a different kind of resort – not one for high-heeled vacation travelers, but for high-heeled drug and alcohol abusers looking for luxury rehab, the Ruse Treatment.
Background information for agenda item 4.a of the Sept. 23 meeting of the Planning Commission states briefly, “On July 24, 2025 an application was received for a Conditional Use Permit to operate a substance abuse treatment facility with 13-beds.”
The site of this proposed Ruse Treatment is described as “currently fully developed with a bed and breakfast that includes 12 guest rooms within four buildings, manager’s unit, maintenance building, lounge pavilion, 45 parking spaces, and various outdoor recreational facilities.”
Those facilities include a dining pavilion, tractor barn, putting green, swimming pool, bocce ball court, and pickleball courts, facilities once designed for the luxury resort incarnation of The Ruse.
Missing from that overview is the lengthy and complex, if not contentious history between the owners of the 819 Grove St. property and the City of Healdsburg. The long-standing Honor Mansion was purchased and remodeled, unveiled as The Ruse in 2022. Owners included Jonathan Wilhem, his brother Patrick Wilhelm and Craig Ramsey.
Their application for a conditional use permit for the resort-like club they envisioned, and spent millions of dollars developing, was rejected first by the Planning Director, then the Planning Commission and finally the City Council. They attempted to operate under the terms of the “legacy” permit they inherited with the property, but in 2023 were served a Notice of Violation from the Chief of Police for exceeding those limitations. Things appeared at a standstill.
But with a softening tourism economy, and renewed incentive to monetize the valuable Healdsburg property—“three acres of relatively level land consisting of two parcels located on the west side of Grove Street”—the owners re-envision those facilities as ideal for personal recovery.
“The project proposes to operate a non-12-step program that will include therapy, counseling, and holistic practices like yoga, meditation and acupuncture. The facility will include medically supervised detox, dual diagnosis care, and customized aftercare,” the project description reads.
One aspect of this post-New-Age care: Golf therapy. “A unique experiential offering… uses the sport to promote mindfulness, stress relief, and peer connection, blending physical activity with therapeutic reflection to support sobriety.” The owners of the Ruse also are listed as owners of Mayacama Golf Club outside of Santa Rosa.
In brief, “The facility will operate as a luxurious 13 bed Substance Use Disorder Facility.”
Although the B&B permit The Ruse operates under allows for 12 units, the proposal is for a 13-resident program, with lodging including seven rooms in the main building, four “Greenside” suites, an additional detached bedroom referred to as the Squire’s Cottage, and a new bedroom installed in the current laundry maintenance building.
It is noted by both applicant and staff that “no exterior modifications are proposed,” thereby limiting their exposure to objections. There are several “conditions of approval” to clarify what the Ruse Treatment is allowed, for instance limits on smoking both indoors and out, and the permit can be revoked upon any violation of the Healdsburg Municipal Code.
With Senior Planner Ellen McDowell overseeing the application, major staff findings of their conditional use permit application do not find anything serious to flag in the proposal. “The proposed location and operation of the conditional use and the conditions under which it would be operated or maintained will not be detrimental to the public health, safety or welfare or materially injurious to properties or improvements in the vicinity.”
“The project is found to be in compliance with all relevant city zoning or other ordinances, and thus the staff recommendation is that the Planning Commission approve the applications.” The city council is also free to reject it, add conditions, or continue its approval to another meeting.
Healdsburg Planning Commission meets at 6pm Sept. 23 at 401 Grove St., also available live at healdsburg.gov/zoom or facebook.com/cityofhealdsburg.
