Nursing home to expand without land swap

After being delayed for years by zoning and environmental issues, plans to expand a Kings Park nursing home are expected to move forward in the next few months, Town of Smithtown officials said Tuesday.

But despite support by some civic association leaders for a land swap that would allow St. Johnland Nursing Center to build a new facility on state-owned property at the former Kings Park psychiatric hospital, such an exchange is no longer being considered, said Vincent Trimarco, an attorney for the nursing home.

Kings Park civic leaders had suggested building the facility on state land, if St. Johnland donated 50 acres to the state.

"That hasn't been talked about in a long time," Trimarco said Tuesday. "They're not looking at that anymore."

Trimarco and Smithtown officials said town engineers are expected to soon complete a study of St. Johnland's proposal to build homes, apartments and a health care facility on 50 acres the nursing home owns off Sunken Meadow Road. The parcel is between the psychiatric center grounds -- now Nissequogue River State Park -- and Sunken Meadow State Park.

First floated in 2005, plans called for 24 homes, 147 apartments and a health care unit. The proposal has since been scaled back, but Trimarco could not discuss details. He said St. Johnland will ask the town to rezone the property, currently zoned for single homes on 1-acre parcels, as a retirement community.

The expansion has drawn opposition from Kings Park residents because of its size and concern about development on the wooded property.

Kings Park Civic Association president Sean Lehmann, who favors the so-called St. Johnland Swap, said he asked state Sen. John J. Flanagan last week to back that idea.

"Our governmental officials have to come up with some idea to make St. Johnland an offer they can't refuse," Lehmann said. "But up to this point, it doesn't seem like anybody has made the effort to make this possible."

Robert Caroppoli, a spokesman for Flanagan (R-East Northport), said St. Johnland officials had no interest in the swap. He added Flanagan is "always willing to listen to ideas" for the site.

Town officials say swapping parcels is no longer an option, and they favor the expansion. "If the environmental impact statement comes out that everything's OK . . . then I would support the project," said Councilman Edward Wehrheim, who said two relatives were St. Johnland patients. "It's a wonderful facility."