Applicant withdraws rezoning request for transitional home at 2423 Cedar Creek Drive after neighborhood opposition

An applicant has withdrawn a request to rezone 2423 Cedar Creek Drive and to obtain a special permit that would have allowed a transitional home for young adults aging out of foster care, following opposition from nearby residents and a staff recommendation to deny the change.

The rezoning request would have changed the property from R-2A (rural residential) to A-1 (agricultural), a zoning district that, under county regulations, permits halfway houses and similar care facilities by special permit. Brian Schultz of the regional planning agency told commissioners the commission and staff concluded the A-1 district is not appropriate in this established single-family neighborhood and recommended denial. "Approving A-1 at this location will set the precedent for future rezoning requests," Schultz said, noting there are already approximately 183 acres of A-1 property elsewhere in the county where such a facility could locate.

Applicant Nerva Ashey, who proposed operating under the name Brook and Hiller Home, told the commission the organization is focused on housing and services for emerging adults ages 18 to 25 who age out of foster care. Ashey said the program would provide life skills, employment readiness and housing support. "Our mission is clear: to equip emerging adults with life skills, employment readiness, and the tools they need for independence," Ashey said, and acknowledged community concerns before announcing the withdrawal: "Brook and Hiller Home is officially withdrawing the rezoning request for that location."

Neighbors from the Shenandoah and Mountain Shadows subdivisions spoke at the commission meeting, largely opposing the rezoning on grounds of location, infrastructure and compatibility. Residents cited concerns about septic capacity, traffic, lack of public transportation in the area and the site’s adjacency to single-family homes. One resident said the location lacks nearby employment and transit options that would support the young adults the applicant intends to serve. Several speakers praised the applicant’s goals but said the property was the wrong site.

Commissioners acknowledged the need the applicant described but expressed concern about introducing an A-1 zoning designation into a suburban residential neighborhood. Commissioner comments urged the applicant to pursue alternate sites, including publicly owned properties or back-tax parcels closer to transit, and suggested county staff could help identify suitable alternatives. Commissioner Graham said he applauded the applicant’s work and encouraged coordination with city and county staff to find a more appropriate site.

The planning commission had previously denied the rezoning and special-permit requests, finding the requested use was incompatible with the White Oak Mountain area plan’s designation of suburban residential for the location. With the applicant’s withdrawal, the commission did not act on the rezoning or special-permit items; staff said they will consider broader zoning-code updates to better accommodate transitional housing options in appropriate locations.

The applicant asked county and city leaders to help locate an alternative property and to consider public sponsorship or partnerships for a future site. Commissioners and staff said they will explore potential options, including back-tax parcels and zoning code amendments.

The zoning items were withdrawn and will not proceed to a vote at this meeting. Commissioners and staff indicated intent to work with the applicant and to review zoning language that may not currently define or expressly allow transitional homes in residential areas.