Washington County, Va., supervisors OK zoning for projects near new hospital

BY DEBRA McCOWN
BRISTOL HERALD COURIER
ABINGDON, Va. – The Washington County Board of Supervisors gave zoning approval Tuesday for the second of two projects competing for a state certificate of need to build a nursing home near the new Johnston Memorial Hospital.
The board voted 6-1 at its regular meeting to grant a special exception permit for a 180-bed nursing home to be built along with 72 assisted living units and 84 independent living units beside the Exit 22 interchange.
The proposed project would be developed by CareVirginia, the same company that operates Valley Health Care Center in Chilhowie, and would involve moving 60 nursing home beds from there to Abingdon. The space left open in the Chilhowie facility would become assisted living units.
The county board granted zoning approval in June for another project, a continuing care retirement community that would include a 120-bed nursing home beside the hospital site on U.S. Highway 11 between Exits 19 and 22, and would be developed by Smith/Packett along with 90 assisted living units and 160 other senior living residences.
Because the state limits the total number of nursing home beds allocated in Virginia and to particular localities, only one nursing home can be built. The state health department is scheduled to hear from both companies in Richmond on Nov. 19 before deciding which project will be allowed.
“We plan for the [CareVirginia] center to be part of the culture change of what senior care should be about, making it less institutional, less rigid, more meeting individual needs based on individual time frames and caring for people,” said Kimberly Clark, director of Valley Health Care Center, who was present to promote the project before the board Tuesday.
Clark said the facility would provide 202 full-time jobs to the area and contribute substantial tax money to county coffers.
Hunter Smith, director of development for Smith/Packett, said in a phone interview Tuesday that he believes his company, in a four-year-long process of having nursing beds allocated through the legislature and working with the community on its project, has gone about things the right way – and will produce an end product more suited to Abingdon. The Smith/Packett proposal is the one the board approved zoning for in June.
“It’s impossible to make up the four years of effort and work in a couple months,” Smith said, referring to Clark’s surprise announcement in June that her company planned to compete for that certificate of need.
Clark told the Abingdon Town Council that month that her company would submit a competing proposal, citing the need for more than one option to be considered; the council voted to endorse Smith’s project anyway.
At that meeting, Town Manager Greg Kelly cited Smith/Packett’s efforts over the past few years working with the town and residents on the project.
Smith said in the initial state analysis, Clark’s project was favored – but he remains confident about his project.
“Too often people fall into the trap of saying bigger is better,” Smith said, “and I don’t believe that’s the case when it comes to health care.”
On Tuesday, County Supervisor Tom Taylor, the lone vote against the project, questioned Clark on the suitability of the project if a truck stop were to locate at the same interchange. Clark admitted concerns but said she could not weigh in without a specific proposal.
She also said she believes her project will be the best for the region.
“There will not be two projects, and chances are, with all due respect, we’ve got one chance to get this right,” Clark said.
dmccown@bristolnews.com | (276) 791-0701