Henderson – There has been increasing local discussion surrounding Timberknolls Spirit Cove’s partnering with Kanuga Conferences to change the zoning from Residential to Commercial at a lot on Henderson County’s Evans Road. The plan is to establish a therapy center office and headquarters ranch for Timberknolls Spirit Cove’s “nationwide” operations, which aim to provide animal-assisted therapy to severely ill patients battling PTSD and other mental illnesses. The therapy sessions would accommodate 12-24 patients at a time, with up to 5 employees and volunteers present. Spirit Cove plans to have 15 Newfoundland dogs and 4 Gypsy Vanner horses on-site. Their business volume has been described as more than 100,000 patients per year recently.
Despite previously stated intentions to communicate and work with neighboring landowners, plans for the proposed headquarters ranch were only discovered by Evans Road residents through a zoning notice sign posted at the site two weeks before the November 29, 2023, zoning hearing. Neighbors promptly gathered and found virtually no support for changing the residential zoning to permit a commercial office operating a mental health therapy center in their quiet, rural community.
After the appearance of neighborhood opposition, a Spirit Cove officer stated that the therapy practice, already said to be serving more than 100,000 patients annually, would not significantly increase local traffic as therapy sessions would be limited and not conducted daily. However, residents are unclear about the intentions of the proposed office therapy center and raise concerns about the lack of licensed, professional medical or mental health therapy staff overseeing the site’s activities.
Representatives from the Evans Road neighborhood met with Spirit Cove, Kanuga, and the developer in December 2023. While homeowners expressed admiration for the organizations’ goals, they opposed the plan to place a busy commercial/medical therapeutic center among peaceful neighboring homes and farms. The residents proposed a compromise plan, suggesting changes in placement of signs, the entrance road, staff housing, pasture and dog lots to alleviate concerns. Despite indications of consideration, the sale of the land from Kanuga to Spirit Cove closed without further communications.
The residents of Evans Road live in well spread-out homes in a quiet country setting where traffic is light and noise comes from natural elements. They welcome newcomers but fail to understand why zoning protection should be broken to accommodate a commercial office building among their homes when there are designated commercial development areas available.
Henderson County land use planning prioritizes the protection of rural residential and farming areas while supporting business development in specific commercial areas. The zoning move requested by the developers is for a single exception on one tract, which would change residential to commercial zoning solely to satisfy Spirit Cove’s desire to operate a business in an established community of family homes.
The Zoning Board of Adjustment will hear the matter on January 31, 2024, at 4pm in the 100 N. King St county office building. Evans Road residents have a “keepevansroadrural.org” website for more information.