Plan to Turn Vestal Nursing Home into Senior Housing Still Alive

A developer says he wants to move forward with his proposal to convert a former nursing home in Vestal into a 128-apartment senior housing complex.

People who live near the property at 860 Vestal Road have seen renewed activity at the site in recent weeks. Drivers on Route 17 have noticed lights on at night in the building just north of the highway.

Isaac Anzaroot said additional work was done to clean up the property. His plan to develop an apartment complex remains stalled because a payment in lieu of taxes agreement proposal was not approved.

Anzaroot's 860 Vestal Empire LLC acquired the old nursing home property in October 2015 for $120,000.

A site plan for the project was approved by the Vestal Zoning Board of Appeals in 2018.

When originally proposed, Anzaroot said he expected the price tag for the project would be $20 million. But delays in getting the work underway have added to the estimated cost. He said the project now might cost $30 million to accomplish.

Some neighbors have complained about conditions at the vacant site. In the past, they've called police to report people trespassing inside the old nursing home, which was damaged during the September 2011 flooding.

Anzaroot told WNBF News Friday he'd "love to move forward" with the senior housing project, saying "it's something that's need in the area." But he said it can't get done without tax incentives.

Vestal town supervisor John Schaffer has not returned phone calls seeking comment on the proposal to redevelop the nursing home site.

Vestal Park Rehabilitation and Nursing Center now operates at a facility that was constructed on West Sheedy Road following the flood that occurred 11 years ago.

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Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com or (607) 545-2250. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.