Applicant seeks conditional zoning for four family-care homes to keep foster youth local in Mint Hill

Jesse Tall, filing on behalf of Flourish Youth LLC, asked the Mint Hill Board of Commissioners on June 11 to conditionally rezone roughly 15.99 acres on Thompson Road (ZC26-5) to allow four family-care residences intended to house children in the foster-care system.

Tall said the homes were built for congregate care and that each residence would hold no more than six children. He told the board that the campus would be staffed around the clock, that the firm will pursue a North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) level-two residential license, and that the operator would prioritize keeping children in their local schools and communities rather than placing them in distant facilities.

Why it matters: The proposal is presented as a local placement option for children who otherwise might be sent outside the region. Commissioners pressed Tall on concrete safeguards and eligibility criteria that affect neighborhood safety and service capacity.

Tall described staffing and safety plans in detail but provided differing ways of describing totals: he said overall staffing per home could run 18–24 people (accounting for multiple shifts and supervisors) and also stated that each overnight shift would have a minimum of three direct-care staff plus supervisory coverage and access to nursing when needed. He said the planned license range for residential programs is 5–17 years, but that the developer expects to target younger children on this campus and would seek a condition capping placements at about age 12.

On medical and behavioral limits, Tall said the homes would serve ambulatory children and would not provide continuous, round-the-clock nursing care or accept children whose behaviors would make the placement unsafe for others. Referrals, he said, would come primarily from county Department of Social Services offices and through Healthy Blue Medicaid contracts.

Tall listed security measures he said would be used to reduce escapes and nighttime wandering: awake overnight staff, active staff rounds (he said staff check every 3–5 minutes during the night), video cameras for internal monitoring, delayed door locks and window alarms, and routine grounds/maintenance staff on site. He acknowledged there would be no uniform law-enforcement presence on the property.

Neighbor Michael Benton, who owns property adjoining the site, urged caution and emphasized two primary concerns: security (he noted there is no perimeter fence) and increased noise in a quiet residential area. Benton said he supports services for children but worried about impacts to his daughter and grandchildren who live nearby.

The mayor closed the public hearing; the transcript records the presentation, questions and public comment but does not show a final council vote on ZC26-5 during the June 11 meeting.

What’s next: The file will remain before the board for any required zoning decisions or conditions; commissioners asked staff to check whether a formal age cap could be written into conditional zoning language.