Petition opposes Wake Robin expansion, zoning change

SALISBURY — A meeting at Congregational Church of Salisbury July 17 to discuss the redevelopment of the Wake Robin Inn — and the May 2024 zoning change that enabled the application for the project in the first place — had a last minute format change, but residents were still eager to share their thoughts on the issue.

Organized by concerned neighbors of the proposed development, the event was originally scheduled to feature a discussion about the proposed expansion and zoning revision.

At the 11th hour, the event was pivoted to a petition signing where attendees were encouraged to sign the document and to chat with their neighbors about the proposed expansion and its impact on the community.

The switch was made due to ongoing litigation against the Planning and Zoning Commission that seeks to overturn a rewrite of its regulations that allows hotel development in the Rural Residential One (RR1) zone.

Neighbors of the Inn have long questioned the motivation and potential impacts of the regulation change, and this meeting provided the first in-person public platform for community members to discuss the topic.

“It should not change,” said Salisbury resident Jane Pinckney on the regulation.

Her words were echoed by long-time resident Roger, who chose to leave his surname anonymous: “When you bought, this thing was zoned a certain way,” he said, asserting that property values in the neighborhood will decrease with the new regulation and Inn expansion.

“Something this big of a deal should have an in-person meeting,” said Salisbury resident Rich Shanley of the Wake Robin expansion hearings. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, P&Z meetings and public hearings have largely been hosted online via Zoom. During the contentious rounds of hearing that took place in 2024 on the applicant ARADEV LLC’s first submission to expand, many members of the public expressed their desire to return to an in-person format for important issues like the redevelopment.

Much of the chatter at the meeting took a similar stance. Roger contended, “Everything was always done in front of people” before switching to the online meeting format. He said he would like to see meetings return to the Congregational Church.

P&Z voted last month to retain the remote format for meetings, citing reasons of fairness and accessibility as motivation to keep hearings online. P&Z Chair Michael Klemens has repeatedly stated that the role of the hearing is not for the public to influence the Commission by intimidation or anger, but to provide a fair platform for community members to speak their minds.

P&Z has denied allegations that the 2024 zoning change was done unlawfully or with any intention of favoring the Wake Robin Inn specifically. An October 2024 letter written and shared by Klemens and Land Use Director Abby Conroy stated that although a proposed regulation change by ARADEV was submitted, it was denied and instead helped formulate a change to “transient accommodations” regulations that had been in the works for years.

If the suit, filed by Wells Hill Road residents Angela and William Cruger, is approved by the court, the regulation change will be moot, and the Commission will no longer be able to review submissions filed for hotel development in the RR1 zone. The public hearing for ARADEV’s resubmitted application was delayed in anticipation of a court decision, which has yet to be made public. The hearing was scheduled for Aug. 5.

The petition that was handed around at the July 17 meeting states its position on the regulation amendment clearly: “If the zoning change sponsored by the Planning and Zoning Commission stands, and if this special permit is issued for the Wake Robin Redevelopment Project, our quiet, rural, residential land is threatened.”

The petition alleges that the project does not comply with the town’s zoning regulations and special permit process, and that the project would severely impact the health, safety and enjoyment of neighboring property owners.

As of July 23, the petition had garnered 430 signatures with more expected before the hearing opens.