Long Island College Hospital operators mull condo plan

The Long Island College Hospital in Cobble Hill, under the ownership of SUNY Downstate Medical Center, is reviewing a developer’s proposal to convert the site into condominiums and an urgent care facility.

The developer, whom SUNY officials planned to reveal at today’s Board of Trustees meeting, offered to buy the 20-structure site at 339 Hicks Street, which takes up most of the street.

The firm would lease most of the block’s real estate back to health care providers that would operate hospital facilities, the New York Times reported. The remainder of the hospital property would be converted into condos.

“We’re doing exactly what the community has asked us to do all along, and that is to find us another operator,” H. Carl McCall, chairman of the SUNY trustees and former state comptroller, told the Times.

At the meeting today, the trustees are set to vote on whether to engage in talks with the developer. This proposal was considered the most viable among six submitted to SUNY officials in the past few months.

In October, SUNY was fighting a state court order allowing community groups and Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio to aid in selecting a new operator for the troubled hospital. [NYT] — Mark Maurer