Salem residents are speaking out against the rezoning decision for the historic HopeTree property

SALEM, Va. (WDBJ) – Salem residents gathered at the courthouse Friday to voice their opposition to a. rezoning decision regarding the historic HopeTree propertya site with deep roots in the community.

Concerned citizens led by Nancy Reynolds and Mark Nayden held a press conference, urging more transparency as the city moves forward with plans to redevelop the property.

In June, the Salem City Council approved a plan to repurpose the HopeTree Family Services-owned by a narrow 3-2 vote. HopeTree was originally founded as an orphanage nearly 130 years ago and has helped hundreds of children in need.

But a recent proposal to turn it into a Planned Unit Development (PUD) has caused frustration among residents, who worry about the impact on their neighborhood.

“I have lived in Salem since I was eight years old. It is very important to me what happens here,” said Nancy Reynolds. “We called this press conference because there is something going on in Salem that citizens need to know about,” Reynolds said.

Reynolds and Nayden expressed concern that the new PUD application could be approved before new council members, who may oppose the development, take office. A joint meeting with the Salem City Council and Planning Commission is scheduled for Nov. 13, where the application could go directly to a council vote.

“A new application was submitted, we’ve never seen it, we asked for it and it was never made available to us,” Reynolds said.

Nayden also criticized the proposed PUD, arguing that it is not appropriate for the area.

“We oppose HopeTree because it is a bad location for a PUD. It is not a suitable structure for that location; it is out of step with the rest of the neighborhood and it will hurt all of us who live there,” Nayden said.

Nayden said the PUD designation would allow developers to make future changes without public input.

“Worst of all, it has never been clear what they are going to develop there. The PUD designation gives the developer a blank check… once it is designed as a PUD, changes can be made without any input from the citizens and often the city,” Nayden said.

Council members Jim Wallace and Hunter Holiday supported concerned citizens during the press conference.

In a statement responding to the opposition, Mayor Renee Turk said:

“The current Council consists of the 5 informed members who have studied this development over the past 2 years. Good governance means that those who have been informed for two years must complete the process. The members who voted ‘no’ would prefer that the proposal be postponed until after the first of the year, so that the new councilors will form the majority and ensure that it is not adopted – while not yet having all heard facts. All three candidates have publicly stated in four forums that they would vote no – because they want to be elected. That would be like using jurors who have NOT heard all the evidence to make a decision – THAT is BAD governance.“

The Nov. 13 joint meeting will include a public hearing, where residents are encouraged to voice their opinions, both for and against the project.