SALISBURY — Richelle Dill got one step closer to the full realization of her dream at Tuesday’s Salisbury City Council meeting when members gave unanimous approval to a special use permit for her daycare center to be located at 505 W. Franklin St.

The permit was needed, according to the city attorney Graham Corriher, and granted during a quasi-judicial hearing process where council members considered the facts of the evidence provided, not opinion. Such applications must meet these criteria: does the proposal meet the principles of the city’s land development ordinance, does it fit in with the design and appearance of the community into which it is moving, is public health and safety assured and are property values protected from substantial damage.

Teresa Baringer of the city development services office presented the proposal made by Richelle and her husband, Eric, noting that the existing office building that is 3,600 square feet is on 0.64 of an acre. The couple intends to add a fenced in playground in the front of the building and eventually upgrade the kitchen for use. They are in the process of inspections from both the city (including fire, police, sanitary, water, building) and the state, and they are to comply with all requirements, and visually and functionally, the plan is in compliance.

Council member David Post asked if the couple could address whether or not the business would cause any negative impact to home values, and they had a licensed Realtor on hand to attest that it would not.

“I started a child care program in my home four years ago, and over time, it has grown enough to allow us to look for a building of our own,” Richelle Dill said. “We moved to Salisbury in December of 2018, and we started the child care program in 2019, so my husband didn’t get to have his man cave.”

Now that the program, called Gifted Learning Academy, will have its own separate location, he will finally have that chance.

Dill got her degree in psychology from UNC Charlotte, with a minor in child development. She spent time working with the Boys and Girls Club in West Virginia under Americorps, then came home and got her master’s degree from UNC Charlotte, and initially got a job at the Goddard School in Charlotte.

“But I just felt I could start my own program that would be more affordable for families,” she said, noting the cost of the Charlotte program was unattainable for many young parents.

With the permit approved and a Small Business Loan that has helped them get off the ground, Dill hopes she will be open close to Christmas. There are slots for children from 6 weeks old to 12 years old, and anyone interested in getting a slot before they are all gone can call the academy at 704-603-8619.

In other business:

 

The council unanimously approved annexations of two parcels that are outside the moratorium area. The first parcel is for just over 63 acres on Earnhardt Road, adjacent to Shay Crossing. The parcel will be developed into 204 single-family homes that will range in size from 1,700 to 3,000 square feet, with two-car garages, and range in price from $275,000 to $400,000. A single entrance is currently planned, but Greg Williams, speaking on behalf of the developer, said they would stop at 100 homes until they could tie in with Shay Crossing and construct a second egress.

The second parcel represents just shy of 17 acres and is the center of a parcel already a part of the city. The annexation will bring the entire 29-acre parcel together, on which 78 single-family homes are to be built. These homes are larger than the first parcel, ranging from 2,400 to 4,000 square feet, and will have a starting price of $400,000. It is not part of the Stone Ridge development but because it is in front of the development, the proposed name is Courtyard at Stonebridge. Two entrances/exits are already in place, one from Old Salisbury Road and one from Stone Ridge Road.