Forest Acres zoning dispute at former Carolina Children’s Home site to conclude next week

A controversial zoning proposal for an assisted-living facility and high-end home development in Forest Acres heads to City Council next week.

A 34-home subdivision and adjacent assisted-living and memory-care operation would fill some of the last remaining undeveloped land in the area, a 26-acre site between Beltline Boulevard and Sunnyside Drive formerly owned by the Carolina Children’s Home.

The Forest Acres Planning Commission has recommended council deny a request by H & M Real Estate Holdings LLC to rezone the property to allow for the commercial memory-care facility.

Dozens of residents have voiced concerns about the development plans, among them:

▪ A possible increased risk of flooding on their own properties due to stormwater runoff from the new development, which sits on a floodplain.

▪ Loss of a natural barrier to absorb sound and light pollution from the Beltline commercial corridor.

▪ An increase in traffic and decrease in wildlife near their homes.

“We have an excellent opportunity here, working with the community and working with the developers, to create something for Forest Acres that’s really going to be exciting,” Mayor Frank Brunson said. “Traditionally, we have tried not to impact neighborhoods with commercialization. We certainly support commercial ... but our first priority is our residents.”

Some of those residents have voiced concerns about the project.

“They’re just going to change the whole fabric of our neighborhood,” Bruce Walker, a nearby resident, said previously.

City Council is expected to vote on the issue at its Tuesday meeting. A public hearing was held last month, and public comments will not be heard at the upcoming meeting.