City Council denies senior housing after neighbors object
BY TODD LUCK
THE CHRONICLE
The City Council rejected a rezoning
request, 5-2, for a senior housing project
on Reynolds Road during its Monday,
May 2 meeting.
The request was one of many items
considered in the meeting, but was the
only one with opposition as residents from
Town and Country Estates objected to
rezoning a property at Eriarcliffe and
Reynolds roads for the project. The corner
acts as an entrance to the community.
Rezoning would've allowed for the con
struction of a 54-unit two-story independ
ent living senior apartment building for
individuals 55 and over.
The property is in the Northwest Ward,
which City Council Member Jeff
Macintosh represents. He said though the
property is ideal for multi-family units like
the one proposed, he couldn't support it.
"Because of the fairly strong pushback
from the neighbors, I have to vote 'no' on
this," said Macintosh.
Resident August Pike outlined the
objections to the project, which included
its height and high elevation on a hill,
which he said made it
an unattractive sight
for Town and Country
residents. He also
expressed concerns
about its dumpster
being an eyesore,
?tormwater drainage
from the property and
increased traffic at an
already busy intersec
tion. When he asked
opponents of the proj
Macintosh
ect to stand up, at least 15 attendees did so.
The developer. Bill Scantling of
Lewisville, said he could change the site
plan for the dumpster and agreed to add a
requirement that the property be used for
senior living, which wasn't mandatory in
the original zoning request. However,
Scantling said the project wouldn't be eco
nomically viable if it had less apartments
and the site left few options to lower it or
move it back to make the two-story apart
ments less visible.
Normally a zoning conflict would be
continued to the next City Council meeting
to let the developer and residents work out
their issues, but Scantling was under a
deadline to acquire the property and have
it properly zoned by May 13 to get federal
funds for the project, which meant the next
council meeting would be too late.
City Council members D.p. Adams
and Derwin Montgomery voted to allow.
the rezoning. Adams said affordable hous
ing for seniors was needed. Montgomery
thought that the issues could be worked
out if the zoning was allowed. He was con
cerned that, if denied, the developer
wouldn't be able to return to council with
the proj<ect for two years, or return with a
different project for the property for one
year.
The rest, with the exception of Robert
Clark who was absent, voted against the
zoning request.
During the meeting the council also
approved rezoning for the
Quarry Park project in the
Southeast Ward. The $5
million park is on the site of
the former Vulcan Quarry and is part of the
bond approved by voters in 2014.
City Council also honored Officer
Travis McFadden with a City Star com
mendation. In October of last year, he was
on his way to his job as a school resource
officer at Kinsgwood School when he wit
nessed a crash between RJ Reynolds High
School and Wiley Middle School. The car
had collided with the steel roof that cov
ered a walkway and was wedged between
the walls of the tunnel, suspended above
the path. The driver escaped but a two
year-old child was still in the car, which
threatened to fall into the tunnel.
McFadden climbed into the vehicle and
rescued the child.
"I believe I was in the right place at the
right time," said McFadden. "I believe that
any officer at the time would've done the
same thing."
Winston-Salem Symphony presents free concert for community
SPECIAL TO THE
CHRONICLE
The Winston-Salem
Symphony and Youth
Symphony will present a
Concert for Community on
May 7 at 3 pjn. The free
concert is open to the pub
lic and will take place at
Wait Chapel on the Wake
Forest University campus.
Although the concert is
free, please visit the
Symphony website at
WSsymphony.org to
reserve your ticket.
"This is one of my very
favorite concerts of the
year," said Maestro Robert
Moody, Music Director of
the Winston-Salem
Symphony, "It is our annu
al gift to the community
and is free for everyone. It
is a unique opportunity to
hear remarkable music,
beautifully performed by
professional musicians and
tomorrow's stars. I love the
fact that it highlights the
enormous talent here in our ?
community, both estab
lished and emerging."
Maestro Moody, Music
Director of the Winston
Salem Symphony, and
Stephen Mulligan,
Assistant Conductor, will
both conduct portions of
the Concert for
Community. The program
features the combined pro
fessional and youth sym
phonies, totaling approxi
mately 120 musicians, per
forming multiple pieces.
The Winston-Salem
Symphony will open the
concert with the world pre
miere of Elysia, composed
by Alexander Umfleet, the
winner of the 2016
Winston-Salem Symphony
and University of North
Carolina School of the Arts
(UNCSA) Composition
Competition. The 2016
Peter Perret Youth Talent
Search winners will then
perform with the Winston
Salem Symphony. Caroline
Smoak, the winner of the
junior division (ages 8 to
12) will perform the Finale
from Max Bruch's Violin
Concerto No. 1, Op. 26.
Nathalie Schmalhofer, a
German-Canadian violinist
who is a high school senior
at UNCSA and is the win
ner of the senior division
(ages 13 through senior
year of high school), will
perform the opening move
ment of Felix
Mendelssohn's Violin
Concerto, Op. 64.
For the second half of
the concert, the Winston
Salem Symphony and the
Winston-Salem Symphony
Youth Symphony will
combine to play Grand
Canyon Suite, by Ferde
GrofS. This majestic work
consists of five movements
celebrating different
aspects of one. of our
nation's mpst magnificent
natural wonders.
For more information,
visit www.
WSsymphony.org.
Bond
from page A4
always a plus to sit down and talk to people who ask for
information and do their homework.
Later this month the board is expected to take the final
bond proposal to the county commissioners who have the
final say on the cost of the final bond package. If
approved, the bond will be included on the November bal
lot.
County Commissioner Everette Witherspoon said
while the board of education is requesting $350 million,
there is no guarantee that they will tie granted that amount.
Witherspoon also mentioned that the board of commis
sioners looks a lot different from the last time the school
board presented a bond proposal.
"Nothing is set in stone," said Witherspoon. "They
could get less or they could get more; we won't know until
we sit down and access the situation."
Motker's Day Special
^ +?
Baked Ham
-ou
Oven-Roasted Ckicken,
Two Vegetable?,
Freak Baked Bread,
Scratck-Made Dessert,
Refillakle Beverage
7.99
800 E. Hanes Mill Rd, Winston-Salem
3300 Healy Drive, Winston-Salem
3169 Peters Creek Parkway, Winston-Salem
6300 Amp Drive, Clemmons
kwcafetertas com
* I f 1 J 9: t- ' V '
r JfiV
1 1 f I f A 1 I -J f A 1 II
^7m1 1 V M ? IV
? ? ? ? ? I I ^fii^B H ^ B ^ B f
L J I I m^HB B : ^^3
Br ^fl ^K ? a ^B ^B B-. I Vf H VB
pU ^^BB B BW
JB il ll
4