State AG and Comptroller sign off on LICH sale to Fortis
The state Attorney General and Comptroller on Tuesday approved SUNY’s plan to sell Brooklyn’s Long Island College Hospital (LICH) to real estate developer Fortis Property Group.
The decision was praised by a spokesperson for Mayor Bill de Blasio, who has been backing NYU-Langone Medical Center’s plan to build a “standalone” emergency department in a new building at the site.
But it disappointed Brooklyn officials and community groups, who have been pushing for the AG and Comptroller’s offices to investigate what they said appeared to be a “rigged” bidding process.
In a joint statement published by Capitol NY, SUNY Chair Carl McCall and SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher said the approval demonstrated “that the contract complies with all state laws and the court-mandated settlement agreement, and allows the full and seamless transition of the facility to commence immediately.”