Another Hotel In The Works for Gowanus

Add another one to the long list of hotels planned for Gowanus: After receiving its building permit in February, a five-story hotel has started to rise at the corner of 3rd Avenue and 13th Street. As of last Sunday, they were up to the second floor. Who's going to stay in all these places?
Gowanus Hotel District Getting Even Bigger [Brownstoner] GMAP P*Shark
Plan for 3rd Ave Hotel Brings Gowanus Total to 7 [Brownstoner] DOB

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...maybe if they charge hourly rates

Posted by: bklyn14 at April 8, 2009 11:19 AM

I think it is clear they are going to try to cater to the new condo class that will be expected to occupy to the string of buildings running down 4th avenue. It still does not seem like enough of a customer base to keep all of these places in business.

Posted by: newsouthsloper at April 8, 2009 11:39 AM

How strange!
that part of 3rd and 13th is HORRIBLE looking - it's totally industrial - why on earth would someone from out of town want to room there?!?!
dumb, dumb dumb!

Posted by: gemini10 at April 8, 2009 11:46 AM

Maybe it's rooms by the week for the newly homeless who lost their jobs, been foreclosed on, and can't come up with the deposit for a rental? I'm not sure if I'm serious or joking.

Posted by: mopar at April 8, 2009 12:25 PM

It strikes me as bait-and-switch. The hotels are being built in the areas zoned for business/industrial. You can't build new residential housing, but zoning permits a hotel. So, a developer builds a hotel and then (surprise, surprise!) has "trouble" filling the rooms. Then it's a small matter of going back to the DOB to ask for a variance as a hardship case, so it could be converted to a more profitable condo or coop building. Most of these hotels advertise wet-bars or kitchenettes, so it's a small alteration to become studios or one-bedrooms. Or maybe they anticipate the Gowanus becoming the Venice of Brooklyn in another decade or two, but which seems more likely: a developer thinking very long term, or trying to sneak something past the DOB?

Posted by: brikenny at April 8, 2009 12:28 PM

Brikenny, the units will be tiny and w/o kitchens. Would be huge job to change. What they could do is 'long term stay' or transitional for homeless or other similiar populations.

Who will stay here? parents of park slope folks, who else. Plus, right near Draft Barn.
come'on.

Posted by: BK realestate veteran at April 8, 2009 1:11 PM

I've been assuming these gowanus hotels are intended to cater to Park Slope and Carroll Gardens people who don't have the space to put up out-of-town guests. I can't imagine recommending it to my visitors, though. I recommend Manhattan, of course.

Even if these developers manage to "pull a fast one" with the DOB, it looks like they stand to lose.

Posted by: Kris at April 8, 2009 1:14 PM

I couldn't imagine putting my parents up there. It would confirm every stereotype they have of "BROOKLYN."

It does make sense for young hipsters from out of state who WANT to think they're living on the edge, keeping it real ... until they see how far they have to walk to get their Starbucks.

Posted by: RaginCajun at April 8, 2009 1:22 PM

It is an ugly area...I live right there (I mean I can see that from my front stoop). I wouldn't want to stay here in a hotel.It's also loud...the manufacturing starts at about 6am...and dirty/dusty.

I have no idea who stays at these hotels. When I tried to put up a family member at the Holiday Inn Express they were asking $426/night!!!!! So I told them just to stay in Manhattan where at least it's nice!

And (bklyn14)...I so hope it's not an hourly place...that won't help the neighborhood!

Posted by: doghouse at April 8, 2009 2:08 PM

as has been stated before(sometimes by me),

these hotels are doing fine. especially if the rack rate is $400+. there are still fewer hotels in the area than at the intersection of two interstates in ohio.

and they are full of tourists. buy far enough in advance and the rates are reasonable.

plenty of room. the sad part is that they are all in one area because of the 1961 zoning that required, in non-industrial zones, that all new hotels be within 1000 feet of limited access highway. a failing boro(brooklyn) made rules to halt the progression of decay. these changes halted growth for decades.

Posted by: bkn4life at April 8, 2009 3:44 PM

bkn4life is correct. Although it may not seem so to some, NYC and Brooklyn in particular are actually underserved in terms of hotel rooms in comparison with other major cities.

Posted by: East New York at April 8, 2009 4:04 PM

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April 8, 2009

Another Hotel In The Works for Gowanus

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