ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — UNC Health has filed plans with state regulators to build a 92-bed hospital in Buncombe County, a move that comes amid reports the health system has purchased Asheville’s Westgate Shopping Center as part of a broader expansion into Western North Carolina.

The North Carolina-based nonprofit health system said Thursday that it has submitted a proposal through the state’s Certificate of Need process to construct what it is calling UNC Health West, an acute-care hospital that would be located near Westgate and Patton Avenue.

The proposed hospital would offer a wide range of services, including emergency care, intensive care, labor and delivery, neonatology, cardiology, gastroenterology, radiology, psychiatry, speech pathology, physical therapy and occupational therapy.

The announcement follows reports that UNC Health has acquired Westgate Shopping Center, though the health system did not specifically address ownership of the property in its news release. Nor did a spokesperson for UNC Health confirm the sale.

A business owner at Westgate, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was uncertain what information had been authorized for release, said tenants had been informed of the sale.

“My understanding is that it’s supposed to be more of an asset,” the business owner said. “The owner has no immediate plans to do anything with it other than what it is doing now.”

UNC Health officials said the proposed hospital is intended to increase access to care and provide patients in Buncombe County and surrounding areas with additional healthcare options.

“UNC Health has a strong foundation of clinical care and education in Western North Carolina, and we are so grateful for the trust placed in us by patients across the state,” said Dr. Cristy Page, chief executive officer of UNC Health. “As these communities grow, our goal is to grow along with them to ensure increased access to care, closer to home, from the state’s public, academic health system.”

The project would be a partnership between UNC Health and UNC Health Pardee in Hendersonville, which has been part of the UNC Health system since 2011.

“This is an important next step in deepening UNC Health’s long-standing investment in this community and ensuring that all families in Western North Carolina have the best comprehensive, coordinated and patient-centered care they deserve, regardless of ZIP code,” said Jay Kirby, president and CEO of UNC Health Pardee.

UNC Health said the proposed hospital would serve patients across the region, including Buncombe, Clay, Graham, Madison and Yancey counties.

The proposal now enters North Carolina’s Certificate of Need review process, which determines whether major health care projects meet demonstrated community needs.

The filing comes as UNC Health continues to appeal a 2025 Certificate of Need decision involving Buncombe County. Health system officials said that if they ultimately receive approval through either the pending appeal or the 2026 review process, they would develop only one acute-care hospital in the county.

UNC Health also said it is considering additional health care facilities in Western North Carolina that would not require Certificate of Need approval.

If approved, the new hospital would expand UNC Health’s presence in a region where health care access and competition have been major topics of discussion in recent years. The health system said it plans to continue working with local leaders and residents as the project moves through the regulatory process.