Brokers: Buyers interested in Suffolk's Foley nursing site

Brokers for Suffolk County's John J. Foley Skilled Nursing Facility say the property has received expressions of interest from more than 35 potential buyers.

Sale of the now-empty building and surrounding land, located in Yaphank, is being handled by commercial brokerage Newmark Grubb Knight Frank's Melville office.

Brokers began marketing the property in early October to parties including developers, hospitals and assisted-living businesses, said Brian Lee, a principal at Newmark.

Suffolk County, which ran and owned the facility, shut down the money-losing nursing home operation in June.

Interested parties can submit bids to buy or lease the former nursing home on a future bid date, which has yet to be set, Lee said.

A handout to potential purchasers suggested alternative uses for the site, such as "assisted living, hospitality, medical, hospital, rehabilitation, research and development and office."

Lee, Newmark principal Jack O'Connor and managing director Dan Oliver are overseeing the bidding process. Newmark has represented Suffolk County in real estate transactions for the last five years, Lee said.

The fate of the 264-bed Foley facility has been divisive. Two previous attempts to sell the Foley site and its nursing home business for $36 million and $23 million were blocked by the county legislature and a lawsuit, respectively. Any bids for the property this time will also need to be approved by the legislature.

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone's 2013-2014 budget includes a potential $17.1 million from selling the facility, an amount based on a July 2012 assessment. The legislature's review of the budget said a more "reasonable" price would be $11 million.

With Paul LaRocco