Board approves rezoning for New Waters Recovery; plan preserves historic Johnson house and limits patient program

The Fuquay Varina Town Board on March 3 recommended approval of a zoning map amendment and corresponding land-use change for 13.9 acres at 6321 Johnson Pond Road to allow a hospital-medical-center use operated by New Waters Recovery North Carolina RTC LLC.

The conditional rezoning requires that the facility accept only adult clients (18 and older), that clients be medically stable and free from acute mental-health symptoms at intake, and that treatment be voluntary. Additional conditions added after the Planning Board review require that clients not have vehicles on site at any time during their stay, that the site have 24-hour camera surveillance, an ornamental gate at the entrance and a nightly curfew of 10 p.m. for residence halls.

Justin McClendon, chief executive officer of New Waters Recovery, told the board the facility will be a “licensed, residential treatment center for individuals struggling with substance use disorder.” He said the program will be regulated, provide evidence-based clinical services, and serve adults who voluntarily seek treatment.

John Adcock, attorney for the applicant, emphasized preservation and low site impact. He said the plan preserves the J. Bill Johnson House — a town landmark and property on the National Register of Historic Places — and that the site plan approved by the Wake County Historic Preservation Commission allows two approximately 4,500-square-foot residence halls, expansion of an existing garage and minimal tree removal tied to construction. Adcock also supplied a traffic generation estimate prepared for the applicant that forecasts roughly 56–58 vehicle trips per day, which he contrasted with the many hundreds of trips a residential subdivision could generate.

Pam Davidson, the town’s planning director, told the board the Planning Board voted unanimously on Feb. 17 to recommend approval with the added condition that all patient treatment remain voluntary; staff found the request consistent with parts of the land-use plan and compatible with surrounding uses when conditioned as proposed.

The applicant and staff said additional protections are part of the project record: a certificate of appropriateness issued by the Wake County Historic Preservation Commission on Jan. 14, 2025, and the town’s own historic-landmark ordinance for the J. Bill Johnson House. Adcock told the board his clients estimate an $8–$10 million investment on the property and said the average client stay would be about 30 days, with 45 days toward the upper end and 60 days an outlier. He said the applicant estimates treatment costs in the range of $50,000–$65,000 for the typical 30–45 day stay.

The board voted to approve the rezoning and the land-use plan amendment after discussion about the program’s operations, security and historic preservation. Several commissioners praised the preservation outcome and signaled interest in a community preview of the facility before it begins admitting clients.

Ending: The project will proceed to the town’s site-plan and permitting process and will also require applicable state licensure for residential substance-use treatment. Town staff and the applicant said they will continue working with the police department and historic-preservation stakeholders on final design and operational details.