Cedar Park's third medical emergency department is slated to open in November after several months of renovations.

Cedar Park Emergency Center's owner and founder, Dr. Henry Higgins, said demolition and renovation was necessary to convert the former car dealership on Whitestone Boulevard into a freestanding emergency center.

The 24-hour, 11-room medical facility will have the look and feel of an upscale restaurant or hotel lobby with high ceilings and warm lighting, Higgins said.

"The project is running smoothly, and we are very excited to be open soon," Higgins said. "It will look like a boutique emergency center with 13- to 22-foot ceilings, hanging contemporary steel clouds with lights in them and a big saltwater fish tank built into the wall of our check-in area."

The property sold in July after being rezoned in May to fit the emergency center use. Higgins said he intends for the emergency center to be the first of several services offered on location, with cosmetic medical services and a private ambulance transportation also in the works.

Higgins, a trauma doctor with nearly 20 years of experience, is leading the project with his father and project manager, Owen Higgins.

The facility will be the third emergency department in Cedar Park, following the opening of Scott & White Emergency Hospital in February and Cedar Park Regional Medical Center in December 2007.

CPEC will have radiology, CAT scan and laboratory capabilities, Higgins said, and a transfer agreement with Cedar Park Regional Medical Center for patients needing extended or inpatient care.

Cedar Park Emergency Center, 3620 E. Whitestone Blvd., Cedar Park