A new hospital could open on the Northside by 2017 after a state agency provided UF Health Jacksonville final approval to build.
The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration provided the award Tuesday for the 92-bed hospital on Max Leggett Parkway near River City Marketplace.
The area has grown by 30 percent from 2000-13, according to a news release from the hospital.
A six-story, 210,000-square-foot medical office complex is under construction on the site and is set to open early next year. The first two floors will serve as the core of the hospital and include a 28-bed emergency room, five operating rooms, two endoscopy suites, a catheterization laboratory, interventional radiology, diagnostic imaging and outpatient services.
The new hospital will bring more than 170 new jobs to the area, the release said.
The project initially was opposed by Memorial Hospital Jacksonville, which filed a challenge with the state Division of Administrative hearings in December.
That arose after the administration awarded preliminary approval for the tower.
Memorial dismissed its legal challenge this month.
The tower and facility will provide more access to the growing area, according to UF Health Jacksonville leadership.
“This is great news for residents in Duval and Nassau counties and Southeast Georgia,” said Russ Armistead, UF Health Jacksonville CEO. “Our medical office complex will bring many high-tech services to those communities in just a few months, and now we can assure them they will have a brand new hospital built within the next five years.”
For more information about UF Health North visit north.ufhealthjax.org.