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Residents quoted in this story requested anonymity to speak candidly about a sensitive and ongoing community issue.
On May 6, the Longmont City Council will do its first reading of a proposed ordinance that would establish residential setback requirements for sex offenders to maintain a certain distance from schools and parks. The council was also considering restricting the number of unrelated sex offenders that can reside in the same house to three. Councilmembers expressed concern about the legality of this part of the ordinance, so it is unknown whether it will be included.
“The situation is still very fluid, and we will defer to the Council regarding any actions they may take on this matter at their next meeting on Tuesday,” said Public Information Officer Rogelio Mares III on behalf of the City of Longmont. “We are ready to implement the council's actions once they reach a definitive decision.”
Longmont residents have expressed concerns to the Longmont City Council regarding the safety of their children due to a home on Winding Drive, operated by Mobarez Solutions as a for-profit sober living facility, that currently houses eight sex offenders, five of whom were convicted of child sex abuse. The home on Winding Drive is a quarter mile from Alpine Elementary School and just one block away from Rough and Ready Park. Mobarez Solutions has been in business for two years and reports a zero-percent recidivism rate.
Mobarez Solutions, a company founded by Roohallah Mobarez, “is dedicated to enhancing public safety and fostering successful reintegration for individuals reentering society from the criminal legal system,” according to the company website. Mobarez, who is himself a registered sex offender due to a prior conviction, founded the company to support reentry for individuals in similar situations.
The Mobarez Solutions facility on Winding Drive has a Colorado Agency for Recovery Residences (CARR) certification as a sober living facility, which is protected by state law from local land-use codes. It is unclear when the facility received this certification. Colorado law says the policy of the state is to “encourage, promote, and assist those in recovery from substance use disorders to live in residential neighborhoods.” Some residents say they believe the facility is taking advantage of protections for sober living homes to house individuals with serious offenses.
“This house is truly a halfway house, with Mobarez leveraging state loopholes to suggest otherwise,” an anonymous resident said. “Halfway houses are not permitted in the Longmont single-family residential zone, which is where this is.”
A “halfway house” is supervised transitional housing that is sometimes court-mandated for prisoners upon release. While the home is not legally classified as a halfway house, some residents argue it functions similarly. State and federal housing protections for individuals in recovery can limit local control over such facilities, especially when certified as sober living residences. Mobarez said that none of the residents of Mobarez Solutions’ housing were court-mandated to live in sober living facilities.
CARR Executive Director Butch Lewis wrote a letter to the town of Firestone in 2023 when the town was attempting to classify a Mobarez Solutions home in the town as a group home rather than a recovery residence. “The law recognizes that unrelated individuals with disabilities have a right to reside together in a shared living arrangement as a ‘single-housekeeping unit’ and as such are to be treated like other households residing in single-family dwellings,” Lewis wrote. On the CARR website, Mobarez Solutions currently has two certified residences, one in Denver and the property on Winding Dr. in Longmont.
The letter further defines recovery residence as “any place that provides housing accommodation for individuals with a substance use disorder. Recovery residences provide ‘structured activities and recovery support services that are primarily intended to promote recovery from substance use disorders.’” (C.R.S. § 27-80-129.)
One resident of the Mobarez Solutions facility on Winding Drive was arrested in October 2023 for “Sexual Exploitation of a Child-sell/publish,” a class three felony. His official conviction date was a year later, in October 2024. Another resident was arrested in September 2023 for “Sex Exploit Child-video,” a class four felony. Four of the eight registered sex offenders in the house were convicted of their crimes in 2024. The other individuals were convicted in 1989, 2017, 2019, and 2022.
Many criminal cases, including those that involve sex offenders, resolve through plea agreements, a reality that shapes how and when individuals reenter communities. Only about one percent of all crimes go to trial (as of 2019). The Longmont Leader reported in January that 20 out of 27 suspects charged with child abuse in Weld County that month were released on personal recognizance bond and were not required to pay bail.
A Colorado law (HB25-1073) will take effect in August and will impose mandatory sentencing minimums of two years for a class four felony and four years for a class three felony.
The new ordinance would enact certain setback restrictions that wouldn’t apply to sex offenders who are already registered at a specific address. However, when individuals choose to move out of the house on Winding Drive, they will be subject to the new setback regulation. Mobarez Solutions would be able to continue operating the sober living facility on Winding Drive, but could only accept new residents who are not registered sex offenders. Michael said that most residents stay for the minimum of 90 days, but many residents stay for more than a year.
"A facility serving multiple registered sex offenders who are completing the sentences of their felony convictions is not what the R1 zoning intended,” one resident said during the April 22 City Council meeting. “I wonder which Longmont neighborhood the next facility will be located in since the city and the council refuse to enforce the residential zoning regulations as they are intended."
None of the city council members or Assistant City Attorney Jeremy Tyrrell indicated that Mobarez Solutions are in violation of any city codes. “Assuming operationally everything was fine and they're in compliance, the ordinance would not affect that home in particular because of the exemptions," Tyrrell said during the March 4 City Council meeting. The CARR certification protects the home from local land use regulations as long as it is abiding by fire safety regulations and building codes. Those standards are part of the CARR certification process.
"We simply want to know why it is necessary to set up shop so close to a ton of children,” one resident said during the April 22nd City Council meeting. “That would be like setting up a recovery facility for alcoholics next to a bar. It's a poor location choice. Not safe for those living there or around the house."
Residents pointed out the higher density of sex offenders per capita compared to the rest of Boulder County, so they are requesting stronger regulations in Longmont by the City Council. Longmont has one sex offender per 344 residents. With approximately 19,384 registered sex offenders in Colorado and a population of 5.9 million, the sex offender prevalence is one out of approximately 307 statewide.
"Thousands of pages of ordinances, codes, regulations for these topics and hundreds of others, but not a single ordinance that restricts how many sex offenders can live in one dwelling or [that gives] distance restrictions from schools, parks,” Another resident said during the City Council meeting. “There is nothing in place to provide for our safety."
One of the house’s residents and Mobarez Solutions’ operations manager, Michael, told the Longmont Leader that sex offenders have a difficult time finding housing and employment due to stigma. Mobarez said that public safety is best served when formerly incarcerated individuals have stable housing and support, rather than being left isolated.
Residents have also expressed concerns that the house on Winding Drive is looking to expand to 14 total residents because the website states there are eight residential openings. Michael told the Longmont Leader there are no current vacancies at the Longmont facility, and the eight openings are located in the company’s other homes located in Denver and Boulder Counties.
Mobarez does not own the home that the facility is located in on Winding Drive. Records show that the home is owned by Tyler Hendrix, who purchased the home in 2024. We were unable to obtain contact information for Hendrix before this story went to print, as Mobarez wanted to protect his privacy.
When asked whether they would consider moving the recovery residence further away from schools and parks, Michael said, “at this time, we are working through the process with the city regarding any proposed resolution before deciding on our next options. It is our intention to continue to operate sober living housing in Longmont to help the members of our community who need it most as it is clear in this region that this type of housing is necessary and beneficial. Regarding locations away from schools and parks, we intend to follow any ordinance enacted and work with the city going forward on future housing.”
In an April 1 meeting, Longmont City Councilman Matthew Popkin said that the council is trying to determine the “most effective level of arbitrary” in creating restrictions for how far away from a school or park a sex offender can live.
According to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network, 93 percent of child sexual assault victims know the perpetrator and seven percent of these crimes are committed by strangers. This highlights that focusing solely on geographical proximity to public spaces overlooks the most prevalent risk factor. The FBI reported that nearly 90 percent of sexual advances towards children occur in internet chat rooms or online messaging platforms. This underscores the importance of addressing online safety and monitoring, which are core components of Sex Offender Management Board (SOMB) guidelines.
A 2013 study about residential setback restrictions for sex offenders in Michigan and Missouri concluded that “regarding the impact of residency restrictions on recidivism, the relationship was small. The study recommends reconsidering the universal application of sex offender residency restrictions, an increase in housing services for sex offenders, and the development of reentry programming specific to sex offender populations.”
Mobarez said that no residents who have lived in Mobarez Solutions’ facilities have become recidivists.
Mobarez Solutions will host an open house at 2200 Winding Drive on May 8 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., which will include a tour of the sober living home. Attendees will have the opportunity to interact with residents, staff, and representatives from partner agencies. There will also be a restorative justice circle led by BRITE, a Longmont nonprofit, and a question-and-answer session to address community concerns. Mobarez Solutions is inviting community members, Longmont City Council members, and media members to attend and learn more about their programs.
