North Carolina Construction News staff writer
AdventHealth can move ahead with construction of its planned hospital in Weaverville after the North Carolina Supreme Court declined to review the final appeal challenging the project’s approval.
The court’s action ends more than three years of legal challenges tied to the state’s Certificate of Need (CON) approval for the facility, clearing the way for AdventHealth to begin work on the 67-bed hospital. The project is intended to expand access to inpatient care for residents of Buncombe, Graham, Madison, Yancey and surrounding counties.
The hospital was approved through North Carolina’s CON process, but construction had been on hold while appeals filed by HCA/Mission were under review. With the legal process now concluded, AdventHealth said it can resume construction planning activities that were paused, including equipment procurement, material coordination and site preparation.
The Weaverville hospital represents AdventHealth’s first new acute-care hospital development in the region and is part of a broader expansion strategy in Western North Carolina. In 2024, the state also approved 26 additional inpatient beds for the project, citing population growth and increasing demand for higher-acuity care. That separate approval remains under appeal.
The Supreme Court decision comes as state regulators prepare for a public hearing on Dec. 16 related to a separate 129-bed CON application associated with the Weaverville site. That application would allow AdventHealth to further expand the hospital’s capacity if approved.
AdventHealth said the initial 67-bed hospital is designed as a foundation that can support future growth, including expanded services and higher-level care as additional approvals are secured.
With the appeals process resolved for the original approval, the health system said it will move forward with construction planning and provide updates as project timelines are finalized.