One of Atlanta’s largest healthcare systems is looking to expand a campus on the fringes of the metro area.

Wellstar Health System filed a letter of intent with the Georgia Department of Community Health to build a $305M tower at its Paulding Medical Center in Hiram, some 26 miles west of Downtown Atlanta, according to the DCH's February Certificate of Need tracking report.

The LOI, submitted on Jan. 24, is a necessary first step to obtain a certificate of need from the DCH, which regulates healthcare expansion in the state, the Atlanta Business Chronicle reported. Wellstar is seeking to add 56 acute care beds in a new eight-story tower, a move that would boost the hospital’s capacity by half, according to the ABC.

Wellstar is the latest health system seeking to expand its physical real estate. In September, Piedmont Henry Hospital got approval for a 95-bed, 189K SF expansion to the tune of $215M. And Northside Hospital is underway with a 480-bed tower expansion of its medical center in Lawrenceville.

Wellstar spokesperson Matt O’Connor told the ABC that the new Paulding County tower is needed given the growth of the local population. Construction is slated to start next year with delivery by 2028, the ABC reported.