New Johnson City campus will bring assisted living, memory care, jobs and expanded senior care services to Northeast Tennessee
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (September 22, 2026) – Morning Pointe Senior Living officially broke ground Tuesday on Morning Pointe at Boones Creek, marking the company’s first senior living community in Johnson City and a significant new investment in senior care and economic growth in Washington County. Morning Pointe at Boones Creek is expected to open in late 2027. The community is located at 145 Highland Church Road in Johnson City.
The $18 million first phase will feature a single-story assisted living and memory care community with 82 apartments, including 58 assisted living apartments and 24 memory care apartments specially designed for residents with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of memory loss. The project is expected to create approximately 200 construction jobs and 200 permanent healthcare professional careers, with a positive economic impact of more than $35 million annually through payroll, property taxes and local purchases of goods and services.
The groundbreaking brought together local, state and community leaders, Morning Pointe leadership, healthcare advocates, educators, faith leaders and members of the Williams family, who previously owned the property. The event marked the beginning of a new chapter for a 20-acre campus that will be developed in two phases.
“As we put shovels in the ground today, we’re not just beginning construction on a new building. We’re beginning a new chapter for Morning Pointe in Northeast Tennessee and an opportunity to make a difference for seniors and families in this community,” said Greg A. Vital, co-founder of Morning Pointe Senior Living. “We’ve been serving families in Greeneville for many years, and bringing that same commitment to Johnson City and Boones Creek is a natural next step for us. We’re proud to invest here, and we look forward to becoming part of this community and serving families for many years to come.”
The new community will be Morning Pointe’s 26th in Tennessee and 43rd companywide, expanding the organization’s longstanding presence in East Tennessee. Morning Pointe currently operates communities in Greeneville, Clinton, Hardin Valley, Knoxville, Lenoir City and Powell.
A Place for Seniors to Stay Close to Home
Johnson City Commissioner Whitney Goetz spoke about the importance of creating senior living options that allow older adults to remain connected to the communities, families and people they know.
“This groundbreaking today represents much more than the start of construction. It’s the beginning of a new chapter for many of our local families,” Goetz said.
Goetz also shared a personal connection to Morning Pointe, telling the crowd about her husband’s grandmother, Barbara, who has lived at Morning Pointe of Chattanooga at Shallowford for several years. She recalled how Morning Pointe staff supported her family through difficult circumstances, including a tornado and the pandemic, while continuing to care for Barbara and welcome her family into the community.
“This weekend, Nana will celebrate her 90th birthday,” Goetz said. “I’m sure that if we were not a part of the Morning Pointe family, we might not be celebrating her in that very same way.”
District 6 Tennessee State Representative Tim Hicks also emphasized the importance of giving older adults the opportunity to receive care close to the communities they call home.
“This is more than a construction project for families in Johnson City and across Washington County,” Hicks said. “It’s a promise that our parents, our grandparents and our older loved ones will have a place to stay close to home and receive the care that they deserve.”
Hicks noted that the project also represents an investment in the local workforce and economy, calling it an opportunity for the people and communities he represents.
Building on a Longstanding Northeast Tennessee Presence
Dr. Alex Williams of Williams Angus Farm, the former owner of the property, welcomed Morning Pointe to Boones Creek and reflected on the dramatic growth of the corridor over the past several decades.
Williams said he has watched Boones Creek transform from a rural area into a growing community. He welcomed the opportunity for the land to take on a new purpose serving seniors.
“This is a beautiful place to live, and it’s going to be a beautiful place for our seniors to live in their time to come,” Williams said.
District 7 Tennessee State Representative Rebecca Alexander, who grew up nearby and has known the Williams family for decades, spoke about the need for quality senior care in the community. She shared experiences of meeting families who were searching for care for loved ones with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
“To think that we could have a facility of the caliber of Morning Pointe right here is great,” Alexander said. “We are honored to have you and very thankful to have this facility that will take care of our elderly people when they most need it.”
Tracey Kendall Wilson, Northeast Tennessee Program Director for Alzheimer’s Tennessee, also welcomed the new community and its future role in supporting individuals living with dementia and their families.
“Morning Pointe is a point of hope, help and light,” Wilson said, drawing on the symbolism of the lantern associated with Morning Pointe’s memory care communities. “That’s exactly what Morning Pointe is to not only the thousands of people in our community that are living with the disease, but also their family members.”
Designed for Care, Connection and Quality of Life
Morning Pointe at Boones Creek will provide assisted living and memory care services in a single-story setting, allowing residents to access living spaces, dining, programming and other services without stairs or elevators.
The 20-acre campus will be developed in two phases. Phase I includes the 82-apartment assisted living and memory care community. Phase II will add a freestanding Alzheimer’s Center of Excellence with 60 additional memory care apartments. Once both phases are complete, the campus is planned to include 142 assisted living and memory care apartments, significantly expanding senior care options in the region.
The community is located at 145 Highland Church Road in Johnson City. Families interested in learning more about the new community can call 423-888-9669 or visit morningpointe.com.
Programming will focus on clinical care, wellness and purposeful engagement. Residents will have access to individualized care plans coordinated by licensed nurses, 24-hour licensed clinical and care staff, on-site physical, occupational and speech therapy, exercise classes, outings, service projects, intergenerational programming and community partnerships.
The memory care program will include specialized dementia care training for all staff and Morning Pointe’s Meaningful Day™ program, a personalized rhythm of life designed to support residents’ emotional, social, physical and cognitive well-being. The campus will also feature Morning Pointe’s Farm to Table culinary program, incorporating fresh, local and seasonal produce into restaurant-style dining with dietitian oversight.
The groundbreaking celebration also included David Crockett High School’s Navy JROTC and representatives from Marvin’s Chapel Methodist Church. Morning Pointe co-founders Greg A. Vital and J. Franklin Farrow joined local leaders and community partners for the ceremony.
About Morning Pointe Senior Living
Morning Pointe Senior Living, headquartered in Ooltewah, Tennessee, was founded in 1997 by healthcare entrepreneurs Greg A. Vital and J. Franklin Farrow, Morning Pointe Senior Living operates assisted living and Alzheimer’s memory care communities in four southeastern states, including GA, IN, KY & TN. For more information, visit morningpointe.com.
The philanthropic arm of Morning Pointe Senior Living is the Morning Pointe Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works to provide clinical scholarships and caregiver support.