Planning board recommends rezoning Johnson Pond landmark for residential addiction treatment center

The Fuquay Varina Planning Board voted to recommend approval of a rezoning that would allow New Waters Recovery to operate a voluntary, adult-only residential substance-use treatment facility at 6321 Johnson Pond Road, a town-designated landmark property.

The recommendation, approved by voice vote, moves the 13.9-acre parcel from Residential Agricultural to an Office and Institutional conditional zoning district and includes a corresponding land-use plan amendment. The board added a condition that commitments to treatment at the site be voluntary and that residents be adults only.

Melissa Sigman, Assistant Planning Director, introduced the item and entered supporting documents into the record, including the rezoning application and the land-use amendment request. Attorney John Adcock, representing the petitioner, told the board that "My clients will operate a, a residential treatment facility for individuals, adults, adults who are suffering from substance abuse disorders." Adcock said the proposal preserves the historic J. Beale Johnson House and that the Wake County Historic Preservation Commission issued a certificate of appropriateness (COA) for exterior changes approximately a month earlier.

Adcock and applicant representatives said the proposal calls for two single-story residential halls east of the historic house — one for men and one for women — with 12 spaces in each hall, for a total on-site census of 24. He described the expected lengths of stay as "between 30 to 45 days" and estimated the owner—s planned capital improvements at "in excess of approximately $10,000,000." Adcock also said the clients purchased the property in October for about $3,100,000 and that its tax value is "a little north of $2,000,000."

Project details the applicant provided and that are referenced in staff materials include: the historic house would remain materially unchanged except for an ADA ramp approved by the COA; the two new residence halls would be sited downhill from the house to reduce visibility from Johnson Pond Road; a garage building would be expanded for food preparation and an on-site chef would prepare meals; and limited tree removal (about 23 trees) with a commitment to replace each removed tree with the same species. Adcock said a tree survey identified roughly 68 heritage trees on the site.

On operational and safety measures, Adcock said residents would be "medically stable" and undergo an admission prescreen to exclude individuals with acute mental-health conditions. He described rules and on-site controls, including a gated main entrance, a construction entrance to be removed after construction, 24-hour cloud-based video surveillance ("up to 40 cameras"), 24-hour awake staff and on-site nighttime security, a mandatory curfew, and strict prohibitions on weapons, alcohol and other items. Adcock said clients would not be allowed to keep personal vehicles on site and that family members dropping off a client would leave after admission.

Justin McClendon, identified as CEO of New Waters Recovery, confirmed the facility would not require a certificate-of-need and that the operator pursues state licensure and national accreditation: "We also are certified through the Joint Commission at our current location and we would be seeking the same accreditation as there as well," he said. The applicants said they would pursue North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services licensure for a residential treatment facility at the applicable level (discussed in the hearing as level 3.5).

Staff noted a traffic analysis prepared for the project that estimated roughly 56 vehicle trips per day for the proposed use, compared with the substantially larger trip generation that an 83-unit single-family subdivision could generate under the current land-use designation. The applicant emphasized the lower site grading and stormwater impacts for the proposed plan compared with potential higher-density residential development.

An email from a nearby resident, Linda Erickson, opposing the rezoning was submitted and entered into the public record; Erickson did not attend the hearing. No one signed up to speak at the public hearing in person.

Board members discussed how the historic designation and the COA process constrain future alterations to the entire property and asked whether conditions on operations would run with the land; the town attorney confirmed zoning conditions run with the land and would be binding on future owners. Adcock said his client also is pursuing a historic-preservation easement with the preservation organization to add an additional regulatory layer for interior and exterior changes.

The planning board moved and seconded a recommendation of approval, adding a condition that commitments be voluntary and noting residents would be adults only. The motion passed by voice vote.

The recommendation now goes to the Town Board of Commissioners, which will make the final decision on the rezoning and the land-use amendment.