The sale of the former Brunswick Community Hospital property for $750,000, initially negotiated nearly three years ago, is expected to be complete by early next week, Brunswick County attorney Huey Marshall said Friday.

Center Development Group LLC is buying the empty hospital and property, located in Supply, from the county, Marshall said. Brunswick County Board of Commissioners chairman Scott Phillips signed the deed and paperwork Friday afternoon, Marshall said, after the board unanimously approved a resolution confirming the long-awaited transaction during an emergency meeting.

As part of the purchase agreement, the county waived the right it might have had to regain ownership of the property under an old law that requires buyers of hospitals to operate them the way they functioned before the sale, Marshall said. In this case, the county attorney said, the more than 35-year-old hospital off U.S. 17 has been vacant since 2011 when Brunswick Novant Medical Center opened a new facility at 240 Hospital Drive in Bolivia.

Center Development has paid a deposit of $37,500 (5 percent of the purchase price), but its option to buy the property expires at the end of June, a deadline that led to the urgency of Friday's meeting, Marshall said.

Proceeds from the sale will be added to the county's general fund, Marshall said. 

"We hope it's going to provide an opportunity for some employment prospects in the county," he said, but added that the buyer has not yet shared any plans for the property or applied for county permits that would indicate the company's plans. 

The old hospital, an 82,000-square-foot facility on 32 acres at 1 Medical Center Drive in Supply, according to marketing materials, was still listed for sale for $2.25 million on Loopnet.com as of Friday afternoon.