In a split 3-2 vote Monday night, Salem City Council denied a zoning change that would have allowed up to 10 townhomes in what now is a single-family neighborhood on Cary Avenue and Brand Avenue off East Main Street.
Mayor Renee Turk and Councilman Randy Foley voted in favor of the application with Councilmen John Saunders, Hunter Holliday and Vice Mayor AnneMarie Green voting against it. Green presided over the meeting which the mayor and Saunders attended remotely.
Patrick Snead of Riverland Oaks LLC was asking for a zoning change at 19 Carey Avenue Residential Single Family District to Residential Business District with proffered conditions.
Eight Carey and Brand Avenue residents and property owners spoke against the zoning change proposed on the .33-acres and property at 114 Brand Avenue. They pointed out how current bad drainage is creating runoff and standing water attracts mosquitoes which make it impossible to walk or children to play outside during the summer. Speakers said they feared grading and new construction would cause more standing water.
Carey Avenue resident Dennis Deverall distributed to Council photos of current standing water and runoff. “Who is liable for flooding of homes that might occur?” he asked. “We have asked the city for years to correct water pooling that attracts mosquitoes.”
Rebecca Horton said property she owns at 112 Brand Avenue has never flooded in 14 years, “If Mr. Snead’s property is graded down that might change.” She added, “If these townhouses are built and parking lots around then, my property would be totally surrounded by asphalt.”
Christy Combs said the proposed townhouses are behind her house. “Now flooding comes to my fence. I am not eligible for flood insurance. If the lot for the townhouses is leveled, the water will come down the hill to my property.”
Carey Avenue resident Dennis Briggs said after rains the land gets flooded all the way to his shed. “Sometimes it takes three or four weeks to recede… The mosquitoes are so bad you get covered by them.” He added the city has been working on the drainage problem for 32 years “And nothing has been done.”
Carey Avenue resident Phillip Bland told Councilmembers, “We are a close community. I am concerned about the problems my neighbors have. Ninety percent of the water on the west side of Cary comes from Brand Avenue. The city has to make sure that proposed development does not add to the water.”
Some speakers opposed townhomes creating more traffic, and bringing in renters in what now is a neighborhood primarily of owner-occupied homes.
“The city needs to come up with a solution before any new construction is done,” Holliday said before the vote. He said he would like to table the zoning request until the city can put in storm water a stormwater runoff system that current residents could pay to hook onto from their properties.
Before making the motion for rezoning, Foley said he thought that would be the best use for the property. The mayor told residents attending the Council meeting, “We realize the city needs to do stormwater management.” She added money for that has been allocated in the budget for the upcoming fiscal year.
She went on the say, “The city is going to provide a way to drain water on the road, with inlets on city property for water to drain. When homes were built, developers did what was code at the time.”
City Development Director Chuck VanAllman explained the new drainage work would have 20-inch pipes, “large enough to handle runoff from existing homes.”
In other matters at Monday night’s meeting, Council congratulated City of Salem Sheriff Chris Shelor, Capt. Johnny Branson and staff on the sheriff’s office sixth Certification of Accreditation. It was presented by Todd Clingenpeel, Virginia Law Enforcement Professional Standards Commission program director, and Roanoke City Sheriff Antonio Hash.
Clingenpeel, a former Salem Sheriff’s Deputy, explained to Council what work was necessary to meet accreditation.
Certification is granted after a sheriff’s office has met 192 standards shown if a state review of the office’s operations. Getting ready for the review takes almost a year, Shelor said, giving credit to Branson for overseeing that as accreditations manager.