Harris Health to start $1B expansion with massive bond funding

A $1 billion publicly funded real estate development in Northeast Houston is adding to the city’s reputation as a medical powerhouse.

Harris Health is moving forward with the 1.3 million expansion of the aging Lyndon Baines Johnson Hospital, at 5656 Kelley Street, according to filings with the state of Texas.

The 12-story expansion will be funded with a $2.5 billion bond that Harris County voters approved in November to rebuild and upgrade Harris Health’s facilities. The bond will also fund a Level 1 trauma center at LBJ hospital, which will be the city’s only one outside the Texas Medical Center. And it will pay to add community health clinics and upgrade Harris Health’s Ben Taub Hospital.

The expansion will add 390 beds to LBJ hospital, an 81 percent increase from the 215 beds it has now. Projected for completion in the third quarter 2028, the hospital’s redevelopment is being designed by local firm HKS Inc. 

It will include an imaging department, emergency center, lab space and a pharmacy. The expansion also includes a nuclear medicine department, specialized cardiology services and a labor and delivery center. 

“Without immediate public investment, our hospitals and emergency rooms will continue to exceed capacity on a daily basis. We need to act now to address the immediate needs but also prepare for the inevitable growth in demand as Harris County grows,” said Dr. Arthur Bracey, who chairs Harris Health System Board of Trustees, in a pitch for the bond funding, which voters overwhelmingly approved.

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The hospital district bond is estimated to cost less than $6 monthly for homeowners with properties valued at $300,000. Over the next decade, the bond is anticipated to incur a nominal cost of about 2 cents per $100 of assessed value for taxpayers, Houston Landing reported.

Northeast Houston is witnessing a significant surge in life sciences and healthcare with the addition of McCord Development’s ambitious project, BioHub Two, at 12805 Lockwood Road. Situated within the expansive Generation Park master-planned community, adjacent to Summerwood and Lake Houston, BioHub Two is planned as a 45-acre campus boasting 500,000 square feet of office and lab space, along with biomanufacturing facilities.