Atrium Health Proposes 168-Bed Behavioral Health Hospital in University City

Atrium Health has proposed a behavioral health hospital at 10714 David Taylor Drive in University City. The project converts a 4-story, 159,000-square-foot building into a facility with 168 inpatient beds for pediatric and adult patients, a net gain of 102 beds. Opening is targeted for 2028.

The building, formerly Escent Research Park, sits on 19.8 acres. Completed in 2021, the vacant office sold for $24.5 million in September 2026. Atrium will spend about $200 million on the renovation rather than building new. Construction is expected to take about a year.

The facility will include a behavioral health emergency department, an expanded crisis stabilization unit, outpatient therapy and medication management, telehealth access, art and music therapy, and therapeutic outdoor spaces. It is projected to add 35,000 inpatient days annually and support more than 19,500 outpatient visits per year. Day hospital programs will add capacity equivalent to about 40 beds.

The project is part of a $340 million, five-year behavioral health investment across the Charlotte region. Existing inpatient services will remain at Atrium Health Behavioral Health Davidson.