The health system also plans to modernize various spaces in the hospital. In total, more than 290,000 square feet would be added and about 65,000 square feet would be modernized.
If the project is approved, the hospital would grow its footprint to 210 inpatient beds and be completed by April 2028, Northwestern said in its application. A Northwestern spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The hospital, at 1000 N. Westmoreland Road, opened in 2018 after Northwestern purchased it in 2010 and replaced the old facility.
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The expansion of Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital comes as the health system grows its footprint across the Chicago region. Northwestern is in the process of building an outpatient center in Bronzeville. An application with the review board shows it will cost more than $163 million and span 257,000 square feet. Earlier this year, Northwestern also filed a permit application with the board to build an $83 million outpatient center in suburban Oak Brook.
Northwestern Medicine operates 11 hospitals and more than 200 ambulatory and diagnostic sites in the Chicago area. The health system is preparing for a leadership transition, as Howard Chrisman takes over the CEO role on Jan. 1, replacing longtime leader Dean Harrison.
