PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — Opposed by neighbors concerned about property values, a controversial group home in the city’s Churchland section can move forward. The property is owned by Fishing Point, the healthcare affiliate of the Nansemond Indian Nation.

The 3,600-square-foot home on Wake Forest Road in the Pinehurst neighborhood was slated for the first item on the Wednesday afternoon agenda of the Board of Zoning Appeals, but the matter was concluded in about five minutes.

Board chairman Gary Bunting said that because Fishing Point had completed the application for the zoning variance, obtained a business license and a certificate of occupancy, it becomes a “by-right” use of the property within the city’s zoning laws.

An attorney for Fishing Point said at a previous meeting that no more than eight women would be staying at the home, about a block from High Street.

About a dozen neighbors had hoped to be heard by the board Wednesday, but Bunting concluded the matter quickly because Fishing Point had completed the administrative steps in advance of the meeting.

“Basically, it means it’s a fait accompli,” said a frustrated Diana Williamson of the neighborhood association that comprises Pinehurst, Sterling Point and Green Acres. “They’re up and running. They’ve got the imprimatur of the city that they need. And I just don’t know what has happened.”

Williamson said the process sets a bad precedent for Portsmouth.

“The floodgates are open now,” she said. “I expect the impact to be negative, no matter how long it takes, whether it’s rapid of whether it’s slow. But it’s definitely a downhill move.”

The neighbors have no means of appeal, but they say they will make their case to members of City Council.

“I just think this whole administrative process has been a travesty,” Williamson said.