The owner of the Bon Venue personal care home in Hampton has dropped his appeal of state licensing action against the facility, and it will not reopen, a Department of Public Welfare spokeswoman said today.

A department hearing had been scheduled today for owner Scott Gordon, of White Rose Associates LLC, to contest the state's decision to take away Bon Venue's license. The facility had emptied all of its 224 beds as of June 3 because of financial and staffing problems, but the appeal left open the possibility of resuming operations in the future.

Welfare spokeswoman Stacey Witalec said Mr. Gordon notified the department yesterday he would withdraw the appeal of the licensing order, effectively ending Bon Venue's operations.

"We never like to see a home closed, because we are disrupting the lives of the people that lived in the facility," Ms. Witalec said. "On the other hand, we had a provider who clearly was negligent in providing for the best interests of the residents."

Mr. Gordon, 50, of Beaver, was charged last month by Hampton police with forging a $22,102 check written from a resident's account to cover the home's payroll. Many paychecks to employees subsequently bounced.