Podiatrist Nathan Sabin plans to keep patients on their toes for some time to come.

That’s according to his assistant, who said Dr. Sabin wants everyone to know he will continue his Morristown practice for as long as two years even if he sells his longtime office at 37-39 South St. to the Walsh family for a bar/restaurant.

“Either way, whether he sells it or not, he’s not going to just pack up and leave,” said Sue Bennett, who has worked for Sabin for the last 30 of his 52 years in private practice.

Brothers Billy and Brian Walsh have a contract to purchase Sabin’s building, contingent on the town approving their transfer of a liquor license to that location. But their proposal has met opposition from neighbors, and the town council has held three hearings so far this year.

When the contract expired last month, Sabin granted the Walshes’ an extension, Bennett said.

The Walsh family wants to buy and convert Dr. Nathan Sabin’s South Street office into a restaurant/bar.  Photo by Kevin Coughlin

The deal would allow Sabin, who turns 80 this year, to wind down his practice gradually, as a courtesy to his patients and to tenants in an upstairs apartment and at the Sage salon, Bennett said.

An attorney for the Walshes has described this as a $5 million project, initially dubbed “The Backyard.”  Plans called for a large outdoor dining area and bar behind the building.

When neighbors raised red flags about noise similar to the Homestead, another nearby Walsh bar, plans were revised to place the establishment in the back, and move outdoor activities to the front yard, facing South Street.

Rendering of proposed restaurant /bar for 37-39 South St. depicts retractable roof, April 16, 2024. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

Proposed revisions include a retractable roof.

If the license transfer gets the green light, the application is expected to proceed to the zoning board. Potential issues are whether it violates bans of rooftop dining and operating a bar within 200 feet of a church.

If approved, this would become the sixth liquor-serving business owned by Walsh family members within the 2.8-square mile town.

Dr. Brian Walsh is sworn in for his second night before the Morristown council, regarding a requested liquor license transfer, Feb. 28, 2024. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

Sabin’s practice has been at its present site for his entire career, except for a very brief early stint on Washington Street, Bennett said.

A graduate of Temple University and its College of Podiatric Medicine, Sabin is board certified in foot surgery and is past president of the State Podiatric Association.

He and Brian Walsh share at least one thing in common: Morristown Medical Center.

Sabin founded and chaired the Podiatry Department at what then was known as Morristown Memorial Hospital, states his website. Walsh is a doctor in the medical center’s Emergency Department.