Residents upset after neighborhood homes turned into adult care facilities

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Some residents in a southeast Charlotte neighborhood say they're upset about the neighbors moving in -- some houses have been turned into adult care facilities.

The company behind them told Eyewitness News Anchor Allison Latos they are following the rules, but some homeowners said they are worried the businesses could hurt the value of the neighborhood.

Homeowner Elizabeth Conner lives in the Stonehaven neighborhood in southeast Charlotte. She said she's upset because some homes are being turned into adult care facilities for patients with dementia.

The Sanctuary at Stonehaven allowed Channel 9 inside their facility on Ciscayne Place.

Officials said they are licensed through the county and the North Carolina DHHS. Two employees care for six residents, who live at the facility with varying levels of dementia.

"People with dementia, although they might wander, we have alarms and things set up in the home to prevent that," a company spokesperson said. "The last thing we want is people exiting the home without our knowledge."

The company said the extensive renovations they have done boosted the appraised value, but Conner, who is also a realtor argues the opposite.

"When you've got a house that is so built out and so specifically built, it's not going to be a comparable home when you look at other houses in this neighborhood," Conner said.

Officials said the home on Bismark Place is the Sanctuary at Stonehaven's second location and it will be inspected by state health officials on Monday.

"Our goal is to make sure the homes we do have, that the residents we serve and the families that we serve, are happy with what we're doing," a company spokesperson said.

"I'm concerned about what it's doing to change the dynamic of the neighborhood," Conner said.

The Sanctuary at Stonehaven said North Carolina law allows family care homes to operate in all residential districts, but the homes must be at least 800-feet apart.

A July 2018 state inspection of the facility found issues dealing with documentation of residents' medication and the use of video monitors.

Cox Media Group