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Permits Filed to Convert Prospect Park Nursing Home into Luxury Apartments

By Caroline Spivack | September 13, 2017 5:51pm
 Prospect Park Residence once housed 140 seniors before they were told to move by the former owner, Haysha Deitsch.
Prospect Park Residence once housed 140 seniors before they were told to move by the former owner, Haysha Deitsch.
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DNAinfo/Leslie Albrecht

PARK SLOPE — The developer of the grand pre-war Prospect Park West building that formerly housed 140 elderly tenants finally filed plans Tuesday to convert the building into 67 luxury apartments. In an unexpected twist, there will also be an "adult day care" space, Department of Building records show.

Harlem-based developer Sugar Hill Capital purchased the property in October for $84 million and plans to convert the nine-story building into apartments with swanky features including a wine vault, pet spa and fitness center, according to the new filing. Medical offices and an adult day care are also on the table, records show. 

The developer may still alter some of the amenities and might decide to make some apartments condos rather than rentals, according to Erin Holin, a spokeswoman for Sugar Hill Capital Partners. 

Nestled on the much sought after Prospect Park West, the building overlooks both Grand Army Plaza and Prospect Park. It will offer the "ideal confluence of comprehensive amenities, thoughtful design and convenient city access," said Holin. Architects at IBI Group are slated to design the project.

But before the hulking structure became another addition to Sugar Hill's portfolio the property was home to 140 seniors at an assisted living facility. The nursing home was abruptly dismantled in March 2014 when the owner, Haysha Deitsch, gave residents 90 days to pack their bags and leave before the facility shuttered.

Most residents moved out, but a handful fought to stay and sued Deitsch and the state Department of Health, which oversaw the facility.

During the lengthy legal battle, residents said they were harassed and mistreated at the facility. Deitsch eventually settled with the final five holdouts for $3.35 million to vacate the building.

Deitsch and the state are still embroiled in a number of suits. In August, a Brooklyn Supreme Court judge thwarted the state's attempt to throw out the Legal Aid Society's case against the Department of Health, which aims to change the agency's eviction policies for residents of assisted living facilities, reported the New York Daily News. 

Sugar Hill has real estate projects across the city and borough. In Park Slope, the firm converted a run-down building at 187 Seventh Ave. and made waves when it purchased 1713 Eighth Ave. — promptly terminating the leases of a dozen artists with workspaces in the building.