GREENSBORO, N.C. — The City of Greensboro Zoning Commission voted 4-3 Monday night against a special permit request from the owners of the Julian Price House in the Fisher Park neighborhood.
The homeowners were hoping to use the property as a rental and tourist home.
"There was no evidence that there was a need in the community for overnight boarding," explains Gene Lester, Chairman of the Greensboro Zoning Commission and one of 4 members who voted the permit down.
Lester says they consider community need, safety and whether or not the plan is harmonious with the neighborhood when weighing
He said he went into the meeting with an open mind, but decided against the request after hearing from neighbors like David Craft.
"It’s a residential neighborhood," Craft says. "That particular part of the neighborhood is rather quiet. It’s next to the park. It’s really mostly single family houses. We think that’s an important thing to protect in our neighborhood."
The City say the neighborhood is currently zoned for single-family use. Craft and certain other neighbors worry that the permit would have given the homeowners of the Julian Price House to hold larger events on site where parking and noise would have been concerns. Other people in the neighborhood were reportedly okay with the permit, only if the homeowners adhered to certain conditions that controlled parking and noise.
Without the special permit, the City's Planning Department says the homeowners won't be able to rent out rooms or put the house up on Air B&B, VBRO or hold events where guests are charged money. That's due to the single-family zoning; the city adds homes in multi-use zoning can put their homes up on those sites.
The Julian Price home has already been through quite a journey. For years, the historic home was a mystery, hidden behind overgrowth and weeds. After a unique opportunity to buy it from the bank, the current homeowners worked to clean up the property and restore its glory, with the new goal of running a bed & breakfast-type facility.
The City says the homeowners have 30 days to appeal the Commission's decision or they can wait one year to file a new permit request.
The owners of the Julian Price House say they don't have any comment about the decision.