Changes are coming to Cape Fear Valley's Owen Drive campus. Here's what's planned.

Cape Fear Valley Medical Center has planned several significant infrastructure enhancements, including a major expansion of its parking facilities to support the future medical school.

Chaka Jordan, hospital spokesperson, said Monday that the expansion at 1638 Owen Drive will introduce approximately 1,000 new parking spaces, "specifically designed to alleviate the current staff parking shortage."

"In addition to the parking lot expansion, we are undertaking the construction of a new medical school as well as the expansion of the Valley Pavilion," Jordan said.

The construction of the new medical school, coupled with the Valley Pavilion's addition of 100 new patient rooms , has created a need for improved parking facilities to accommodate around 480 students and 100 faculty.

Previous coverage: Plans for Fayetteville's medical school are well under way. Here's what's new.

Valley Pavillion expansion

The Valley Pavillion expansion project was first announced in 2022 and is expected to be completed in the fall. It was the first expansion to the main campus’ central building since 2008, when the $110 million, five-story Valley Pavilion opened, according to a news release .

The expansion project includes two new stories on top of the existing building, creating approximately 100 new patient beds and about 187 new full-time positions at the medical center, the release said.

Brian Pearce, vice president of operations and development at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center, said the expansion project's exterior is completed and the scaffolding will soon be removed. He said the building will be ready to receive patients by January.

Methodist University's School of Medicine

Pearce said that the medical center has about 3,000 parking spaces for visitors and staff and the expansion will add 1,000 to the rear of the campus. Currently, the area is a gravel lot with clinical and non-clinical buildings scattered throughout, some of which are leased by other clinics. These clinics will need to find other locations because the buildings are slated for demolition, he said.

In total, 12 buildings need to be razed to make way for the new parking lots. This includes the building housing the marketing department, some rehabilitation and professional development offices, and the former Village Baptist Church building, which has been vacant for several years. He said some employees in those buildings have already been relocated.

Cape Fear Valley Medical Center will break ground on Methodist University's new medical school this fall, with construction expected to be completed by spring 2026, Pearce said. The medical school will be built between Cape Fear Valley's daycare and the main campus medical center on Village Drive.

Pearce said the parking expansion will include a new side entrance on Village Drive, just before the medical school, complete with a new streetlight providing direct access to the new parking lots.

"To minimize disruptions, we are implementing a phased approach with temporary parking solutions for staff," Jordan said. "There will be no disruptions to public parking."

When does the parking construction begin?

Jordan said that the parking expansion project is set to begin immediately alongside the construction of the medical school, with the new parking expansion anticipated to be completed by July 2026.

She said the parking lots will feature improved lighting, extra security cameras and marked pedestrian walkways and crossings.

Jordan said the parking expansion is funded through the capital budget, while Cape Fear Valley Health Foundation, in partnership with Methodist University, has, thus far, raised $10 million through a fundraising campaign for the new medical school. The overall estimated cost of the parking expansion project is between $3-5 million.

Reporter Lizmary Evans covers growth and development for The Fayetteville Observer. You can reach her at LEvans@gannett.com .

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Changes are coming to Cape Fear Valley's Owen Drive campus. Here's what's planned.