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

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

In June, the Salem City Council approved a plan to rezone HopeTree Owned by Family Services by a close 3 to 2 vote. HopeTree, originally established nearly 130 years ago as an orphanage, served hundreds of children in need.

But a recent proposal to convert it to 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 8 years old. It’s really important to me what happens here,” Nancy Reynolds said. “We have 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 incoming 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 advance directly to a council vote.

“A new application was submitted, we never saw it, we applied for it and it was never 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 poor location for a PUD. It is not an appropriate construction for that place; it is not consistent with the rest of the neighborhood and 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.

“The worst thing of all is that 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 citizens and often the city,” Nayden said.

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

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

“The Acting Council is made up of 5 knowledgeable members who have studied this development over the past 2 years. Good governance is getting those who have spent 2 years informing themselves to finish the process. The members who voted “no” would prefer it be extended until after the first of the year so that those new council members constitute the majority and not pass it, when they have not heard all the 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 putting 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 will be encouraged to share their views, both for and against the project.

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