The sprawling nursing home formerly known as Forestview and, later, as Wareham Healthcare, has sat empty since last July. 

Now, several investors are looking into purchasing the property for use either as a nursing home or to convert it into apartments — either for seniors, assisted living or for the general market.

At an Aug. 17 meeting with several officials, investor Jack Hynes, project manager Matt Nelson and engineer Bill Madden made it clear that the property’s future is still undecided. The investors have entered into a purchase and sale agreement for the site, which is “priced to sell” at $2.5 million via Coldwell Banker.

Wareham Healthcare — the nursing home that last occupied the space at 50 Indian Neck Rd. — closed in 2021 in part because the property owner declined to renew the company’s lease or allow it to buy the building. The nursing home first opened under the Forestview name around 1990.

“This is going to be a controversial project because of its size and location,” said Town Planner Ken Buckland.

Nelson said that the group wanted to get feedback from the town before it invested in further plans. One of the group’s initial plans for dense apartments was nixed because it didn’t comply with a town zoning bylaw requiring apartments in buildings with five or more units to have at least 650 square feet of living space, excluding closets and bathrooms.

Hynes said the group thought that much square footage was “an overabundance of space” for senior living, and said later that if the group had to build apartments that large, they would not be age restricted.

He explained that the group commissioned a market research study into the demand for skilled nursing homes as well as independent and assisted senior living that will determine the demand in the area, other providers and the relative saturation of the market. It seems like there’s a demand for all those options, Hynes said. 

Also discussed was the possibility of a Chapter 40B development that would include at least 25 percent affordable units which would allow the developers to obtain a comprehensive permit from the Zoning Board of Appeals.