The York County Planning Commission voted 7-0 Wednesday to recommend the Board of Supervisors approve an application for a special-use permit that would authorize an assisted living home in the Skimino Landing Estates subdivision to house up to eight residents.
The 6,539 square foot house is already being used as an assisted living facility that has three residents and one staff member who lives there full time. Todd Mayer and Tracy Anthony, the operators of Trinity Assisted Living, would like to have up to eight residents and three non-resident employees at the facility, with the latter group necessitating the special-use permit.
Mayer and Anthony filed an appeal with the Board of Zoning Appeals last year after the York County Zoning Administrator determined that a special-use permit was necessary for the non-resident employees. That board upheld the zoning administrator’s determination at an October meeting, though they told Mayer and Anthony to go through the normal process — applying for a special-use permit — to secure the authorization they needed to run their assisted living facility.
The Board of Zoning Appeals also voted at that meeting to recommend to the Board of Supervisors that they look favorably upon the application. Mayer and Anthony have filed an appeal of the Zoning Appeals decision with the York-Poquoson Circuit Court, though that case won’t move forward if a special-use permit is granted by the supervisors at their May 21 meeting.
York County Planner Tim Cross presented the staff’s findings about the assisted living facility at Wednesday’s hearing. He said the facility is quiet, does not affect traffic in the area and will not affect surrounding properties. York County Planning staff recommended the commission vote to approve the recommendation.
Two nearby homeowners spoke against granting the special-use permit to Mayer and Anthony. One said he did not think an assisted living facility was proper for an area zoned residential, while the other said he was concerned a special-use permit would open the door for the house to be converted into a halfway home or something similar in the future.
The planning commission inserted language into the resolution that specified the special-use permit was governing an assisted living facility to mitigate that concern.
“We need to address the need for more assisted living,” Commissioner Melissa Magowan said. “Simply because there’s a home for assisted living does not mean we’ve set a precedent for substance abuse or halfway homes to be put in the neighborhood.”
Commissioner Christopher Abel said York County’s aging population needs more resources devoted to them to address their housing needs. Commissioner Alexander Hamilton recommended that Mayer and Anthony, who currently lease the house but plan to buy it in the future, reach out to nearby property owners to assuage their concerns.
The commission also voted 7-0 to certify the Proposed Capital Improvements Program for 2014 to 2023 conformed to the outlines of the current comprehensive plan for the county. The proposed CIP document was released alongside York County Administrator James McReynolds’ proposed budget for 2014 and outlines potential spending on stormwater and sewer projects, buildings and expensive equipment.
The Planning Commission will hold a work session April 24 where they will continue to discuss the proposed update to the Comprehensive Plan.
