Children's Healthcare is spearheading the next effort for a new hospital in Brookhaven in the tune of more than $1B.

Egleston Hospital, a subsidiary of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, has filed a certificate of need with state regulators to get a green light to begin construction of a 446-bed pediatric hospital at the intersection of North Druid Hills Road and Interstate 85.

The building will be the crown jewel of Children's new Brookhaven medical campus, where the healthcare giant just completed its 260K SF outpatient center called the Center for Advanced Pediatrics.

In Georgia, healthcare providers are required to obtain approval from the Georgia Department of Community Health with a certificate of need when expanding physical medical services.

“Filing this CON is a significant milestone for developing a transformative healthcare campus that meets the needs of Georgia’s children,” Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta board of trustees Chair Jonathan Goldman said in a release. “Our rigorous planning process shows that Children’s must grow to continue to meet the vital needs of kids and their families in our state.”

The planned hospital is expected to both replace Egleston Hospital across from Emory University as well as expand its bed capacity by more than 100.

Officials said the new hospital is needed to keep up with the overall population growth in Georgia. Last year, Egleston saw more than 320,000 children, and officials said visits to the Children's Healthcare network, which includes campuses in Sandy Springs and Downtown Atlanta, are increasing faster than overall population growth. The metro area's population is expected to surge past 8 million people by 2040.

The plan comes at a time when the overall healthcare real estate market has been on a positive burst, with vacancies in Atlanta below 10% for the first time in more than a decade. And even though more than 700K SF of medical office space was under construction at the start of the year, more than 60% of it was already pre-leased.

The new facility will alleviate space constraints at the other Children's hospitals and address medical demand to 2036, Children's CEO Donna Hyland previously told the Atlanta Business Chronicle.

The 1.8M SF hospital, which alone will cost $1.3B, will include an office building, a central utility plant and a clinic. It will be situated on a 70-acre campus that will include 20 acres of green space and walking trails. If approved, officials said the project should deliver within seven years.