This browser does not support the Video element.
Neighbors upset over plans to turn house into a retirement home
FOX 5's DC's Sierra Fox spoke to Vienna Manor Assisted Living's owner who says the company has purchased about a dozen houses in Fairfax County and successfully turned them into group homes.
FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. - Residents in a Fairfax County community are concerned after finding out a group home is moving to the neighborhood.
Vienna Manor Assisted Living has purchased a house on Carrington Lane for senior citizens.
It is authorized by the state, but neighbors wish they were able to provide input before this all came to fruition.
Local resident Gia McCarthy says the community is a "peaceful, quiet place" and she wants it to remain that way.
This browser does not support the Video element.
"The traffic with medical supplies, trash, deliveries, just change our quiet little neighborhood more into a business and I understand that seniors need help and a place to stay, but maybe on a busy corner of the neighborhood where there’s already a lot of traffic," she said.
Download the FOX 5 DC News App for Local Breaking News and Weather
Several members of the community are also worried about safety and property values going down.
FOX 5's Sierra Fox spoke to Vienna Manor Assisted Living's owner who says the company has purchased about a dozen houses in Fairfax County and successfully turned them into group homes.
The owner explained that the business is licensed by zoning and has requested to have eight residents – who are age 70 and up – stay in the house. There are also three staff members who live with them.
SUBSCRIBE TO FOX 5 DC ON YOUTUBE
Meetings have been held to help make community members feel more comfortable about the situation, the owner says. He thinks they won't even realize it's a retirement home because there won't be signs outside and the senior citizens will be quiet neighbors.
In a statement to FOX 5 DC, Vienna Manor Assisted Living wrote, "I believe we offer the care that our seniors deserve at this stage in their lives, in a peaceful, pleasant, home setting."
"It just seems to me like there would be a better place for it," says Bill McCarthy, a homeowner in the community. "This is a very quiet cul-de-sac, and we’d like to keep it that way."
Fairfax County Government issued the following statement to FOX 5: "Fairfax County is committed to providing vibrant, resilient housing to our community that meets the changing needs of our residents. Assisted living facilities like the one proposed allow seniors to stay in the neighborhoods they know and are the foundation of our strong community."
The group home officially opens on Carrington Lane in the summer.