A rezoning request approved by Roanoke Rapids City Council Tuesday night will allow Rural Health Group to construct condo units off Highway 125 for the housing of medical professionals in a residency program the health organization plans to begin.
The rezoning request, which was unanimously approved, rezones 15.442 acres of land fronting Old Farm Road from a B-4 Commercial district to B-3 Commercial District. The B-3 District allows multi-family housing as well as non-retail uses such as medical offices, City Manager Kelly Traynham said.
RHG CFO Andrew Pernesky told the council the plan is to build two units of 10 condos each with the residency program slated to be up and running next year.
“We are trying to develop a residency program,” Pernesky said. “We are currently having issues with finding enough housing for the residents so we wanted to put condos there so we could house those residents.”
Pernesky said the main objective is to have housing for students in the residency program as well as doctors who come in.
In answering a question by Mayor Emery Doughtie, Pernesky said currently the housing would be designated for RHG but he expects the RHG residents to also serve residencies at ECU North.
Councilman Wayne Smith noted this is a nationwide problem where professionals coming into an area need a place to live. “It’s just not something that happens overnight. I think a lot of people across the country are having to build units for people to come into. If we want professional people in town we’re going to have to think about it.”
Traynham said housing is a significant need. “We have a significant need, especially for temporary housing because there’s not much stock available. There’s not many options, especially for multi-family.”
Traynham said local employers are experiencing hardships in trying to recruit employees in the face of limited options. “We experience it ourselves in recruiting employees. Companies are looking at options. A lot of them are saying we’re going to provide housing. This is a model that’s being used.”
Yvonne Long-Gee, RHG CEO, said,”We’ve been able to attract providers we normally wouldn’t be able to attract through offering housing assistance. There is an employment issue in the area. The only way we’ve been able to get providers is by offering this option. We’ve been doing it in other manners but now we see the need to actually have housing. It is quite an attraction that we have the ability to provide temporary housing because oftentimes they don’t live in the community but they want to serve the community.”
There was no one to speak in opposition to the request and Planning and Development Director David Wise said there had been no objections raised to the department when considered by the planning board or before the council meeting.
Councilman Carl Ferebee made a motion to approve the statement of consistency for the rezoning which passed after a second by Smith and Ferebee also cast the motion to approve the matter on a second by Smith.
