Colorado neighbors react as high-dollar healing center planned for historic Greystone Estate

Colorado community members gathered on Wednesday to learn more about a healing center that could be created in Greystone Estate in Evergreen. The plan is still in the early stages, and no application has been submitted.

The $17 million estate in Evergreen could become a recovery center. The historic gated 25-room manor house has been on the market for more than a year. Greystone Estate is surrounded by six cottages, houses, and cabins. There's a grand library, wine cellar, gym, tennis courts, and outdoor pool. All sit on a 54-acre plot of land.

One man thinks it's the perfect place for people to recover from addiction. He's hoping to rezone the property with Jefferson County from Agricultural-Two to Planned Development.

The idea for Greystone Estate is a high-dollar retreat using meditation, yoga, and psychedelics to treat trauma. But neighbors still have a lot of questions.

"This area is beautiful. Serenity," neighbor Ron Sherbert said.

Sherbert has lived in Evergreen for nearly 50 years.

"This is home. It's quiet," Sherbert said.

But he worries a plan for a residential healing center on the estate next to him could disturb that tranquility.

"We're not against treatment of that. I think we're leery, and I'd say against the rezoning, because it really is a family residential," Sherbert said. "It's going to change the complexion, and you're putting a business right in the midst of that. The things that it could bring with us are what's concerning."

"What we're interested in doing is helping people as safely as we possibly can," said Nicholas Vitulli, the man behind the idea.

Founder Vitulli wants to create "Mycelia" in Greystone Estate — a "sanctuary" treating trauma and addiction through yoga, clinical care, and psychedelic therapies.

"There's no one-size-fits-all thing when you're talking about trauma. And there are a bunch of different modalities that we have, that we have the best people in the world that practice them," Vitulli said. "We're dealing with people's underlying issues, core root-level trauma."

Mycelia could house 25 clients at a time at a premium of $75,000 a month.

"Have you ever done this before?" one neighbor shouted in a Wednesday community meeting at Evergreen Lake House.

"I decline to answer due to your combative nature," Vitulli responded later to a different outburst.

In the tense community meeting, which is the required first step before a rezoning application can be submitted, neighbors raised concerns about traffic, safety, water, and fire risk.

Vitulli says there will be a rigorous screening process, and the facility will not house anyone detoxing from substances or with a history of violence or psychosis.

In the meeting, project representatives said no additional structures would be built on the property and claimed experts found the project would have no traffic impact and no use of water beyond what is already allowed.

When asked what psychedelics would be used, Vitulli said plans are tailored to the client and Mycelia "will use any modality needed that is legal."

Vitulli could not answer specifically where the money for the project is coming from.

"We will find out who the money is behind this because that's critical. Money drives the motivation and follow-through," a neighbor said in the meeting.

"One of the things that I'm most concerned about are the qualifications of the people," Sherbert said. "Where is the money coming from?"

"Nobody's business where the money's coming from. It's not a corporation. It's an individual who has lost his son to a lifelong battle with depression, anxiety, and he ultimately committed suicide, and he wants to make sure that other people don't have to go through that," Vitulli told CBS Colorado.

After the questions wrapped up, the meeting ended in tense moments with some neighbors shouting; a taut end to the first step toward Mycelia.

"My experience is that the people that are hurting the most are the loudest. We're trying to help people," Vitulli said.

The next step is for the rezoning application to be submitted. That's when detailed plans for Mycelia will become public. Then Jefferson County will review the application, and public hearings in front of the Planning Commission and county commissioners would follow.

Interestingly, part of the Greystone Estate sits in Clear Creek County. Representatives from the project and Jefferson County said it was too early to say what, if any, steps would need to be taken with Clear Creek County. Later, a realtor representing Vitulli said no structures sit on the Clear Creek side. A Jeffco representative said comments from nearby neighbors who live in Clear Creek will be considered by Jefferson County.