A new outpatient-only emergency room could be coming to Madison.

Crestwood Medical Center is seeking the city’s approval to build a freestanding emergency department (FED) at Madison Boulevard and Research Boulevard on the city’s southeastern side. The hospital anticipates a one-story building of about 12,000 square feet with an on-site helipad and road connections to Madison Boulevard.

The proposed freestanding emergency department “is needed to enhance access to emergency services for the large, growing, and aging population … and ensure timely access to emergency medical services for area residents,” Crestwood states in its zoning board application.

Crestwood, which owns the 4.3-acre undeveloped parcel, is seeking an exception from the city’s zoning board to permit the freestanding emergency department on land currently zoned Restricted-Industrial. A hearing is scheduled Thursday, and the board is recommending approval.

A Crestwood spokesperson did not immediately respond to an email seeking information about the proposed facility’s bed count, anticipated opening date and total cost. Crestwood operates a large, private hospital in Huntsville and multiple, smaller medical facilities in the area.

Freestanding emergency departments are becoming more common in Alabama. They are designed to provide 24-hour-a-day outpatient emergency medical services in a smaller-footprint building that is easier for patients to access and navigate than an acute care hospital campus.

Crestwood opened a 10-bed, $22 million freestanding ER last year in Harvest. There are 10 freestanding emergency departments in Alabama, AL.com reported in January, with others located in Baldwin, Mobile, Jefferson, Shelby and Lee counties.

The Madison facility’s on-ground helipad is not expected to get much use, according to Crestwood’s zoning board application. The helipad is proposed to meet Public Health Department requirements, it states. The Harvest freestanding emergency department has one as well, which was not used a single time between the facility’s opening and December, according to the application.

Madison zoning staff notes hospitals are an allowed exception to the parcel’s existing zoning and would not have a “substantial or undue adverse effect on adjacent property.” If approved by the zoning board this week, Crestwood would be required to submit a site plan and plat and to seek approval from Madison’s planning commission.