THE Virginia BACKSTORY: First Fairfax, now loudoun
Gleedsville Road
In December 2021, a handful of Gleedsville Road residents found out that Newport Academy/Institute, a private equity backed, rehab treatment company, was buying a family subdivision of residential homes and a separate 10 acre plot to operate a commercial treatment facility.
Objecting to corporate misuse of neighborhood homes is not objecting to mental health. Everyone supports mental and behavioral health care, Loudoun residents are objecting to Newport again attempting to misuse residential neighborhoods for their commercial, congregate facilities. Several of those who object to the inappropriate location have worked extensively in the mental healthcare field, others continue to work and volunteer with local organizations dedicated to providing care and support for mental health and developmental needs.
Not Permitted in Fairfax
In 2019, Newport purchased, and began operating out of, a row of three McLean neighborhood homes on Davidson Road. After Fairfax County Zoning was made aware, they determined the three home operation was not State and Federally protected "Group Homes" free to operate "by-right", but a "Congregate Living Facility" that intended to share resources. That McLean residential zone requires a special permit for congregate facilities while Loudoun County Zoning fully prohibits congregate facilities in AR-1 residential zones, the uses are incompatible and no special permit exists.
The three homes on Gleedsville Road in Loudoun make up a gated family subdivision. The homes share one single-lane driveway, along with multiple communal features and amenities. Protect Loudoun believes that this location, even more so than the row of McLean homes, defines congregate living and should not be misused by a company as a sprawling "sub-acute psychiatric treatment" campus (aerial photo of the subdivision displayed above).
Not Permitted in Loudoun
In November 2021, Loudoun Zoning informed Newport that their intended use for the three homes was "congregate" and NOT permissible. However, Deputy Zoning Administrator Michele Lohr went on to confirm Newport's inquiry on whether it was possible to operate each home in the subdivision as separate group homes and she confirmed without performing a site visit to see that the homes are an enclosed subdivision. In a hand-delivered letter to select neighbors, Newport cited Deputy Zoning Administrator Michele Lohr's words as their reason for purchasing the homes. All zoning documents are posted further below.
Protect Loudoun supporters view this second attempt to operate a commercial treatment facility out of multiple adjacent homes in a residential neighborhood as an intentional strategy. If Newport Academy/Institute are permitted by Loudoun County to supersede zoning laws, it will establish a precedent for all Loudoun neighborhoods which will benefit Newport’s wealthy stakeholders and Canadian private equity investors – not those who seek their care, not neighborhoods, and not the Loudoun community.
communities nationwide
Expansion and Saturation
Other states, like California, have laws in place to prevent facilities from saturating neighborhoods. Virginia has no such laws after state delegates rejected a Bill proposed in 2021 to require a minimum distance between facilities in residential areas. But even California's laws haven't prevented Newport from overwhelming a community.
Newport initially purchased two homes in a Orange Park Acres, California and now operate out of over a dozen, despite pleas from the community (see the PDF article below for full details). As mentioned in the article, deep pockets of a private equity backed company allows them to easily outbid anyone looking to purchase a home, even amidst a housing shortage in a competitive market.
Loudoun residents fighting this private equity campus do not want to see this county meet the same fate as Orange Park Acres and likewise, residents in Orange Park are passionate about helping Virginians ensure that our zoning laws prohibiting congregate facilities are enforced.
Rural neighborhoods are not equipped with the infrastructure or resources to properly serve a commercial treatment campus for dozens of adults seeking psychiatric in-patient care. The clients paying Newport over $2k/day deserve to be treated in a safe and adequate location.
"Since 2017, local police and sheriff departments responded to more than 200 emergency calls..."
To Support This Effort, Contact Our Loudoun Representatives
Not sure what to say?
- I object to the sale of adjacent residential zoned homes in Loudoun County to private equity companies for use as commercial rehab campuses. Newport Academy (NA), a for-profit rehab treatment company, has purchased 3 homes on Gleedsville Road in Leesburg. They clearly intend to use the houses as a “Congregate Housing Facility”, and not separate single family residences, per “AR1” Zoning Regulations this is not permitted.
- This is not a Fair Housing issue. Newport executives are misusing Virginia Code 15.2-2291 to allege each home is a separate facility while they plan and prepare to operate a unified congregate campus.
- Newport states that clients would not have access to the other properties. That is NOT realistic, nor does it reflect their own marketing. The 3 homes function as a family compound with a single gated driveway, entrance, and multiple congregation areas like tennis courts, a large pool at only one home, a shared pond, a golf course that spans all three yards, and several other shared amenities.
- As other communities have reported, this congregate facility will have significant impacts, including to the safety and security of local residents, and strain on local law enforcement resources.
- Most importantly, a large rehab campus would jeopardize and displace A Farm Less Ordinary, a local non-profit that provides employment to the intellectually and developmentally disabled. This isn't right, Newport can easily operate from a location zoned for congregate use.
- I support mental and behavioral health care, clients seeking treatment deserve to be in a safe and compatible area.
- This private equity backed rehab treatment company, operating multiple adjacent homes out of Loudoun residential zones, will set a precedent and allow expansion to other Loudoun neighborhoods.
- (Tell your personal story and give your opinion about how this precedent would negatively impact residential zoned areas in Loudoun.)
Email Addresses
The Loudoun Board of Supervisors can be emailed as a whole at bos@loudoun.gov
Delegate Wendy Gooditis
Loudoun County Board of Zoning and Planning, dpz@loudoun.gov
Individual emails for Board Members and their Staff Aides, as well as for Zoning Board Members, can be found at Loudoun.gov
I have a Master's Degree in Counseling Psychology and Human Services and 12 years in the field of mental health and crisis intervention. I STRONGLY oppose Newport Academy operating on Gleedsville Road. I advocate comprehensive mental health services, but I cannot endorse a facility amongst homes.
S. P.
