A filing with the Oregon Health Authority has revealed the estimated price tag for a major expansion at Columbia Memorial Hospital: $175 million.

The 180,000 square feet of new construction planned at the hospital’s campus off Exchange Street in Astoria is about equal to the size of Fred Meyer in Warrenton and would include an expanded emergency room, improved operating rooms and upgraded patient rooms.

The filing with the state indicates that the hospital will not increase the number of beds from 25.

Earlier this year, the hospital had said the expansion would broaden the scope of services and include new equipment, diagnostic capabilities and specialties often found only in larger institutions.

The filing states that the expansion would not add any new services, but the hospital clarified to The Astorian that the statement applies to the certificate of need process. According to the state, the process is intended to evaluate whether a proposed service or facility is actually needed and is designed to discourage unnecessary investment in facilities and services.

The letter to the health authority said the new development will provide a resilient structure that can serve as a safe harbor in case of natural disaster. This will be done by building up and by putting critical infrastructure on the roof.

According to the hospital, the estimated $175 million needed for the expansion would be raised through loans, donations, cash reserves and grants. Groundbreaking is planned for late next year.

Erik Thorsen, Columbia Memorial’s CEO, had previously declined to provide a cost estimate for the project when asked by The Astorian, explaining that it was premature.

“The construction budget listed in the OHA application is a preliminary estimate. The final budget will not be known until CMH has completed the design phase of the project, which is anticipated to be in 2024,” Thorsen said in a statement.

“For clarification — there are no new services that we believe require CMH to go through a certificate of need process, which is the purpose of the OHA application and letter of intent.

“CMH has a great history of bringing new services, procedures, tests and providers to meet the health needs of the community, like the CMH-OHSU Knight Cancer Collaborative. The hospital expansion will allow us to continue this effort.

“More details of the expansion project will be shared as the planning process wraps up.”

The Astorian contributed to this report. This story is part of a collaboration between The Astorian and Coast Community Radio.