WS Chronicle

The Winston-Salem City Council approved rezoning that’ll let Hawley House expand and delayed a vote on the Burger King on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive during its Tuesday, Jan. 2, meeting.

The Burger King location closed down several months ago. Carrols LLC, which owns and operates the building, plans to renovate the location after buying the property from Burger King. The rezoning involves the renovations, which have been put on hold as Carrols is still trying to acquire the property. The location will most likely be shuttered for several more months as the rezoning was delayed until April 2 at the petitioner’s request.

The City Council also unanimously approved rezoning for YWCA’s Hawley House, a woman’s substance abuse recovery program located in a two-story house in the South Ward. The program had single-family residential zoning that allowed six residents to stay there. The new multifamily zoning will allow it to have up to 12 residents. YWCA Supportive Services Vice President Kristin O’Leary told the council the rezoning will give more women much needed services.

“The increase with the opioid epidemic in the number of phone calls that we get, we have just had a tremendous amount of disappointment to those women who are really trying to seek help,” she said.

The residential program at the house lasts 9-12 months. Residents are often referred by another YWCA program, Project New Start, which provides classes, Bible study and other services for incarcerated women and a post-release support group.

O’Leary said that the rezoning will allow three to four more women from New Start to stay at Hawley House for 60-90 days after release. This will give them access to the many resources available to residents there, such as physicals, access to medication through Crisis Control Ministries, vocational services and transportation to their appointments.

O’Leary said that the house already has the space for the additional residents. To meet zoning requirements, it’ll need to install a sprinkler system, which she said the nonprofit hopes to cover with a city grant it’s applied for.

She said she’s tried to make Hawley House a part of the neighborhood. Clients at the house are involved in the community and volunteer at neighborhood events.

There was no opposition to the rezoning. South Ward City Council Member John Larson said that spoke well of the program.

“Hawley House is an example of how an organization such as yours works within the neighborhood fabric, is a contributing element, and has, in fact, strengthened the diversity of a neighborhood, providing a valuable service for the community,” said Larson.

A condition was added to the zoning that it will revert back to single-family home zoning if the YWCA ever ceases the program there for more than a year.