Applicant seeks special permit for personal care home in Salem Springs; neighbors oppose over traffic, parking and compatibility

Lydia Nicholas, a registered nurse who said she works both in the ICU and as a correctional nurse, presented an application for a special land use permit (SLUP25‑002) on June 12 to operate a Type‑2 personal care home at 5284 Salem Springs Place, which she described as a house intended to support seniors who remain largely independent but may need oversight.

Nicholas said the house is a two‑story dwelling with what she described as four bedrooms upstairs and one bedroom downstairs (she used both “5‑bedroom” and “4‑bedroom” in different answers during the meeting), and proposed placing two residents per room for a total of up to six residents. She described services the home would provide: assistance with activities of daily living, tailored nutrition, housekeeping, laundry, socialization, transportation, and 24‑hour oversight. “It’s not a nursing home. It’s not…you’re not gonna be bedridden,” she said.

Neighbors within the roughly 1,000‑foot notification zone attended in significant numbers and opposed the request. Common concerns included the small size of yards and bedrooms, limited on‑site parking and curbside parking in a neighborhood they described as already congested, potential noise and additional visitors, the house’s stair‑centric layout (residents and neighbors said the bedrooms are upstairs), and the safety of residents in an area neighbors described as experiencing speeding and frequent trespassers. Several speakers asked whether the owner will be required to live on site (Nicholas said she would), whether licenses and state inspections would be required and posted, and how the operator would handle residents who become less mobile over time.

Neighbors also asked whether the house had an HOA and whether the owner bought the property with intent to operate a business; Nicholas said there is no HOA and that she purchased the house and intends to live there while operating the personal care home. Residents asked that the city enforce signage limits and licensing visibility and asked staff to clarify permitting and building‑code requirements.

City staff and some commenters said that Type‑2 home occupations and personal care homes are regulated uses and that proposed operations must meet city and state requirements for licensing, safety and building code. Staff explained CPIMs are the first step in the rezoning/SLUP process, that the city will post meeting notices for future hearings, and that staff will consider the public comments when drafting conditions and recommendations. No formal vote or permit decision was made at the meeting.