Members of Salem City Council, at right, Salem Planning Commission, with backs to camera, and HopeTree Family Services representatives and development team met for a joint work session Feb. 21 at the Salem Civic Center.
By Meg Hibbert
Contributing Writer
Construction firm representatives say the commercial aspect of development plans for HopeTree Family Services is vital to build the proposed Planning Unit Development neighborhood.
During a three-and-a-half hour joint work session Feb. 21 of Salem City Council, Salem Planning Commission and HopeTree representatives and development team, Todd Robertson, president of Stateson Homes, explained the commercial aspect would be necessary.
“We can’t sell 340 homes there without the type of community that we have suggested here and proposed if we don’t have the commercial elements to it,” Robertson said.
He added that if the PUD cannot be developed, the land might be back to traditional development of 200 or 220 homes, with driveways backing out onto Red Lane.”
Under current zoning, HopeTree property could be developed into 200 houses with no additional zoning.
HopeTree plans to sell half of its almost-50 acres to Stateson Homes to develop more-than 300 homes, condos and apartments. Robertson said the business uses necessary for his firm to do the development would probably be an eight-room boutique hotel, “corner store” and coffee shop, and what was described as a fine restaurant.
Most would be in existing, empty brick buildings on the HopeTree campus, representatives said, and would be leased to the businesses.
In answer to a question from Mayor Renee Turk, Robertson said the homes would sell for upper $200,000 to estate homes between $800,000-$900,000.
Turn said after the meeting she is for development of HopeTree property if developers agree to keep the low number of businesses.
The Planned Unit Development subdivision would feature homes facing streets to be built with alleyways behind them to garages, trees and fingers of greenspace, he explained.
At a long public hearing on Feb. 13, residents of Red Lane, Mount Vernon, Broad Street and Academy Street expressed concerns the development would create a huge increase in traffic, water runoff, and construction noise, in particular.
HopeTree President and CEO Jon Morris summarized where HopeTree is now and why the facility cannot grow as a children’s home. Founded in 1890 as the Virginia Baptist Children’s Home, the complex was home to hundreds of orphans in its early days.
Under state regulations, Morris pointed out, HopeTree can now have no more than 16 children. Changing state regulations are also requiring HopeTree to replace the three eight-bedroom homes for developmentally delayed adults with smaller four bedroom homes.
The building that houses the current Hopetree Academy day school for middle and high school students who benefit from one-on-one teaching would be renovated, and would become HopeTree’s new administration building, Morris said.
“The idea is to have the older adults in as normal a home as possible. We are getting them to help design their new residences,” he added.
Morris pointed out something will be built on HopeTree property.Mayor Turk asked the question a number of speakers at the public hearing had, which was could adoption of the PUD be delayed until after Salem’s new Comprehensive Plan is developed over the next few months and adopted.
Zoning Administrator Mary Ellen Wines said no. The Planning Commission has 90 days to act on the HopeTree application, “which they can extend,” she said, and Salem City Council also has 90 days after it is forwarded from the Commission.
“It could be many, many months out. The decision cannot wait,” Wines said.
The next meeting of the Salem Planning Commission is scheduled for March 13, when the commission is scheduled to consider the HopeTree request.
