Copperberry subdivision residents want
regulations on group homes
January 3, 2007
By Rochelle Moore
 The
opening of a group home in one of Wilson County's newer and
expensive subdivisions has led its residents to ask the county
commissioners to limit the future location of group homes.
Nine residents and three developers
of the Copperberry subdivision, located off N.C. 58, have petitioned
the commissioners for a countywide zoning change that will prohibit
family care homes from locating within one-half mile of another.
"This is a text amendment that will
affect the whole county," said Joe Raczkowski, Wilson County
planning director.
Local governments are unable to
regulate or limit the operation of residential facilities, including
family care homes and group care facilities. Municipalities and
county governments can, however, limit the distance between the
homes by the half-mile separation rule.
The Wilson County Board of
Commissioners will have a public hearing on the issue Monday at 7:30
p.m. during its regular board meeting at the county Agriculture
Center. The commissioners could approve the amendment following the
hearing.
Copperberry residents, developers
and any other county residents will have the opportunity to voice
their opposition or support of the half-mile regulation at that
meeting.
The group home operating in the
Copperberry subdivision is licensed by the state as a Level 3 mental
health facility with four beds.
The home, Gateway to Future Inc.,
is a residential treatment facility for children or adolescents who
are emotionally disturbed or have a mental illness, said Jim Jones,
a spokesman with the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.
The home is licensed to have
residents with a primary diagnosis of a mental illness, emotional
disturbance or substance-related disorder. The residents may also
have a co-occuring disorder, including a developmental disability.
Repeated attempts to reach the
operator of the home, Nirmal Sharma, were unsuccessful.
Currently, there does not appear to
be any activity at the home and neighbors say they don't know if the
home is being used right now.
Whether or not there are any
occupants there, the zoning change request will not impact the
operation of the existing group home, Raczkowski said.
"There is a group home that's being
run in that subdivision," Raczkowski said. "This would only prevent
one group home from coming in one-half mile of that group home."
At least two Copperberry residents
and one developer declined to discuss reasons for their petition to
the county commissioners. Concerns of being viewed as discriminatory
were cited.
The half-mile separation rule, if
approved, would prohibit another group home from locating not only
within the Copperberry subdivision but also within one-half mile of
the existing group home.
Charles Eatmon, a property owner of
an undeveloped lot in the subdivision, said he heard that a group
home had located in Copperberry. He wasn't sure, however, what that
meant for his neighborhood.
"I don't discriminate against
people with disabilities but if they're going to be rowdy, I don't
want that," said Eatmon, who now lives in Charlotte. "I don't want
any hassle out there. My only concern is would they be a nuisance or
a safety concern?
"I don't understand why they would
put a home in a neighborhood like that."
Eatmon purchased one of the
properties in the subdivision where he may build his own home.
The Copperberry subdivision, a
high-dollar neighborhood about four miles from the Country Club
subdivision, includes homes costing at least $300,000.
The 19-lot subdivision has been in
the process of development for the past three years and includes
eight houses and two under construction.
The house at 5824 Nobleman Court
was purchased in 2004 by Sanjay and Nirmal Sharma, who have a
mailing address in Colton, Calif., for $323,000.
State and federal laws, including
the Fair Housing Act and Americans with Disabilities Act, prohibit
anyone being denied access to housing, including anyone with a known
disability.
"They can not discriminate based on
a disability," said Jennifer Hancock, the executive director of the
Mental Health Association in Wilson County.
Persons with disabilities are
allowed the same ability as anyone else to live and reside in
residential communities, homes and group homes.
rochellem@wilsondaily.com |
265-7818
|
