By Sarah Nagem
snagem@salisburypost.com
The Salisbury Planning Board voted Tuesday to recommend to city leaders that a re-entry program for ex-prisoners should not be allowed to open on South Ellis Street.
Most board members said the proposed House of Hope at 730 S. Ellis St. would not fit in with the surrounding community. They also said the program could increase crime rates and decrease property values.
The board voted 8-1 against the project. Jeff Smith cast the lone vote in favor of it.
The program would have housed up to eight just-released male prisoners. In previous planning board meetings, some people who live in the area pleaded with board members to deny the program on their street.
Many board members said they were in favor of the program ó just not in that neighborhood. But the value of the program wasn’t the issue facing the board, said Maggie Blackwell, a planning board member.
“That’s not what we’re here to decide,” Blackwell said. “We’re here to decide if it should be in this place.”
Board member Karen Alexander said she traveled to Hickory to see a similar facility. The neighborhood is very different than Ellis Street, she said.
“It’s on the edge of a very urban area that has very few residences there,” Alexander said.
The house in Hickory was much larger than the house on Ellis Street, she added. Alexander said she was concerned the house here would not be large enough.
Earlier this month, the board asked the planning staff to compile some information before it made a decision. The issues, and the city’s findings, are as follows:
– The Oxford House operates at 413 S. Institute St. The facility, staff said, is a non-profit group that houses alcohol and drug addicts. Unlike the proposed House of Hope, residents are not ex-prisoners.
– Salisbury has no group care facilities licensed by the Department of Health and Human Services. All of Rowan County’s eight substance abuse programs are in Salisbury. The city is also home to six residential treatment centers and one family-care home.
– The Governor’s Crime Commission does not track, license or monitor transitional and re-entry programs. The commission has awarded grants to five Rowan County programs since 1992.
– The planning staff reported that Salisbury Police Chief Mark Wilhelm said a slightly higher number of disturbance calls are made in the neighborhood where House of Hope would open. The increased number of calls, Wilhelm reported to staff, is in part due to the proximity of Salisbury High School. Some neighbors, staff said, call authorities when students make a lot of noise.
– N.C. Building Code would permit only seven residents in House of Hope, the staff said. The proposal called for eight residents.
Richard Huffman, a board member, said early on in the meeting Tuesday that he was in favor of the program on Ellis Street.
“I think it’s one of the most difficult decisions we’ve had since I’ve been on the planning commission. … I’ve certainly thought long and hard about it,” he said.
Before the vote, Huffman said House of Hope would help former prisoners and maybe reduce their recidivism rates.
“It’s certainly a program that is needed,” Huffman said.
But in the end, Huffman voted in favor of recommending the project be denied.
Many board members said the project did not meet the five standards on which they based their decision.
In particular, many said, House of Hope could not guarantee that “the public health, safety and welfare will be assured” and that the project would not “substantially injure the value of adjoining property.”
Throughout the meeting, board member Albert Stout said he was in favor of House of Hope opening on Ellis Street.
“I haven’t heard anything that would tell me how this would impact the community negatively,” Stout said.
But a scheduling conflict forced Stout to leave the meeting before the board voted.
Smith voted in favor of the project with conditions in mind. For example, Smith said he would want House of Hope to gain the city’s approval before making changes to the building’s exterior.
Board chairman Mark Beymer said he thinks House of Hope could fit in with some Salisbury neighborhoods, but not South Ellis Street.
The city council is scheduled to consider the proposal next month.
Also during the meeting:
The board approved a plan to build a vehicle access from Ashbrook Road into the parking lot of Hendrix BBQ at 2488 Statesville Blvd.
Some local residents and a N.C. Highway Patrol trooper who spoke in favor of the access point said another entrance and exit from the parking lot would increase safety.
Timmy Garris, owner of Hendrix BBQ, said the restaurant has suffered because of construction on Statesville Boulevard.
“We’ve been through a lot with the road construction and everything on U.S. 70,” he said. “We’ve been lucky to stay in business.”
Two people spoke against the new access, saying it was too close to the intersection of Ashbrook and Statesville and that headlights could shine into nearby houses.
Also, the board said yes to a request from Extreme Motorcycles to sell alcohol at its store.
The business, located at 610 W. Ritchie Road, will maintain its normal operating hours.
The owner, Dirk Newsome, said he wants the store to host weekend events.