Brightview Senior Living plans $64M assisted living complex in Sayville

Brightview Senior Living, a Baltimore-based developer and operator of senior housing, is set to begin construction on a new $64 million assisted living and senior apartment complex in Sayville on the site of a former plant nursery.

Brightview, which recently completed the $5.5 million purchase of 7.3 acres of land on the corner of Broadway and Route 27, plans to construct and run a 154-unit assisted living center and senior housing complex with dedicated dementia care space. About half of the units in the 157,000-square-foot, three-story facility will be senior housing with amenities. The remainder will be used for assisted living, said David Holland, vice president of development for Brightview.

Assisted living offers seniors rental residences in buildings with communal spaces, on-site aides and kitchen staffs, coordinated activities and entertainment options. Overall, the facilities cater to seniors who can live independently, but need assistance with “activities of daily living,” such as getting dressed or managing medication. Many facilities charge more for higher levels of care.

Nursing homes, in contrast, are licensed clinical facilities for the sick and elderly.

The development will be Brightview’s first on Long Island.

“We’ve just entered the Long Island market, but our objective is to develop and operate five or six communities on Long Island over time,” Holland said. Construction of the site should take about two years and will start in June. “We’ve obtained all the permits and approvals.”

The Brightview facility, the developer’s second in the state, will feature dining venues, a theater, beauty salon and wellness center, among other amenities.

East Setauket-based Tritec Real Estate has been hired as the general contractor on the project.

Dennis McCoy with brokerage NAI Long Island represented Brightview in its purchase of the property from Anthony James Fusco LLC., and has worked with the assisted living operator for nearly five years identifying potential sites.

“We have a couple of locations that we're working through right now,” McCoy said. “Any large development project takes time. Just because it doesn’t have an impact on traffic or schools, doesn’t mean it doesn’t take a long time.”

Brightview operates 35 facilities along the East Coast from Washington, D.C., to Boston. The company had previously sought approval for a facility in Dix Hills, but encountered community opposition and is evaluating its options concerning the site.