Bethesda's Suburban Hospital is planning a $230 million, 235,000-square-foot addition and a new parking garage, according to an article on the Healthcare Construction + Operations website.

The Johns Hopkins Medicine subsidiary has been fighting neighbors for the expansion for five years, according to the Washington Business Journal. Construction plans call for demolishing nearby houses, which the hospital now owns, and permanently closing a block on an adjacent street. The hospital said closing that block would prevent hospital traffic from cutting through a neighborhood.

The project includes a new patient-care wing, eliminating the need for a separate building. Additionally, 15 larger operating rooms will be built to today’s healthcare standards, and the hospital will have better traffic and pedestrian circulation, the article said.

The new parking structure will reduce the amount of surface parking on the site. The hospital will also create separate entrances for emergency vehicles.

Read the article.