Help with non-comforming use commercial daycare, Charlotte NC

[Terri Pour-Rastegar]

Hello all.  I have purchased a building in a residential neighborhood (R-5) in Charlotte NC, that was run as a commercial childcare facility for nearly a decade.  Then those folks lost the property to foreclosure.  Zoning is telling me the property has lost it's valuable non-conforming use status as a commercial childcare center because the property has not been used as such for more than 12 months.  I think this is BS--it was not used because it was in foreclosure!  

I could use any help/advice in how to try and get the nice folks down at the city offices to reinstate the commercial childcare status. I want to rent this place out, and I don't need to tell you how much more I can ask in rent if it's allowed as a commercial childcare facility, versus a home childcare facility or, even worse, a SFH or duplex (all of those uses are allowed). To convert it back to anything but it's previous commercial use would require me to restructure at least 30% of the interior, as there are no legal bedrooms as it currently sits.

Thanks in advance.  :)

[Pat L.]

We bought a similar place. An old mansion with 8 bedrooms, 2 offices and an apartment. It was used for many years by the Catholic Church as a home for wayward girls. It was up to date with all commercial zoning etc etc.

As soon as we bought it the town rezoned it single family residential. Those we flipped it to have been trying for some time to get a variance to at least zone it for a B&B. 

My strategy would be to approach the powers that be & in documenting the request for a variance (to reinstate the commercial designation) mention the fact that commercial tax assessments would be higher. This would certainly benefit the city/town.

Good luck..