WakeMed seeks to build combined acute and behavioral health campus in Garner; town staff working on permits and infrastructure

Tom Cavender, vice president of facilities and construction for WakeMed Health and Hospitals, told Garner council on Aug. 26 that WakeMed is advancing plans for a combined WakeMed Garner Whole Health Campus, merging previously approved Certificate of Need projects into a single site.

What the campus would include WakeMed has received approvals from the state Certificate of Need process to construct both a 45‑bed acute care hospital and a 150‑bed mental health and well‑being hospital. Cavender said WakeMed decided to move both projects to the same Garner campus and that the combined project will include a full emergency department (about 24 treatment bays), an intensive care unit, med/surg beds, six operating rooms and mental‑health programs covering adolescent, adult, young‑adult, dual‑diagnosis and geriatric care.

Expansion filing and totals WakeMed told council it submitted an additional Certificate of Need filing on Aug. 15 for a planned expansion that would add about 78 more beds (including 18 obstetrics/labor and delivery/postpartum beds, a four‑bed special care nursery and about 30 observation beds). If the expansion is approved and all elements proceed as described, Cavender said the campus could total roughly 300 beds when both mental‑health and acute‑care components are combined and would approach roughly 500,000 square feet.

Timeline and town coordination WakeMed described an aggressive schedule: Cavender said the project team has a tentative groundbreaking planned for Nov. 6, 2025, is targeting a May 2026 building‑permit submittal, and expects a roughly 30–34 month construction period with full operation targeted in 2029 if approvals and scheduling permit. He emphasized close monthly coordination with town staff on site plan review, roadway connections (including the Jones Sausage Road extension and a new connector to U.S. 70), stormwater and certain Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) equivalency questions.

Why it matters locally Council members and staff pressed for details about routing and access that would serve Garner residents, including potential bus connections to the nearby VA clinic and how new facilities would affect local emergency transport and staff recruiting. Cavender emphasized that WakeMed intends heavy use of the site’s wooded topography, with the mental‑health facility organized around courtyards and outdoor therapeutic spaces. He said many patient rooms will be oriented to views of Mahler’s Creek (the site’s natural drainage corridor) and that the design emphasizes daylight and landscape integration.

Funding and approvals Cavender said WakeMed has pursued state Certificate of Need approvals over recent years and decided to concentrate both projects in Garner after victories in the CON process. He also said WakeMed will seek funding and coordinate on infrastructure grants or other external support when practical, and that WakeMed’s foundation and public relations teams are preparing for a public groundbreaking if the permitting schedule continues as planned.

What council asked Council members sought clarity on height (WakeMed said the design keeps floor heights below high‑rise thresholds to avoid additional code complexity), phasing, and whether the site’s topography allows the organization to “hide” back‑of‑house functions from patient view. WakeMed representatives said they expect to continue monthly coordination with the town and to brief council as permitting milestones are completed.