Permit Issued For First President Street Hotel
There have been a couple developments on Gowanus’s nascent hotel row, President Street between 3rd and 4th avenues. First off, the DOB issued a new building permit for a four-story hotel on the corner of 3rd Avenue, above. This one is rumored to be an economy chain with 50-some-odd rooms. Second, SAI Hospitality closed on…
There have been a couple developments on Gowanus’s nascent hotel row, President Street between 3rd and 4th avenues. First off, the DOB issued a new building permit for a four-story hotel on the corner of 3rd Avenue, above. This one is rumored to be an economy chain with 50-some-odd rooms. Second, SAI Hospitality closed on its purchase of 561 President for $6.2 million, according to public records. The warehouse is one of two on the block that SAI plans to demolish and replace with high-end hotels. If all the hotels get built, there’ll be almost 300 new rooms on a single Gowanus block. Sort of boggles the mind, no?
Developer Plans Two Hotels on One Gowanus Block [Brownstoner] GMAP
Another Gowanus Hotel Takes Shape [Brownstoner]
Anyone who thinks the building of crappy second rate hotels is a good thing is crazy. It is NOT better than empty lots becaus empty lots still have the potential to be bought by a developer who will build something decent. crappy hotels add nothing to aesthetics, street life etc. they will seal gowanus’ as a dead zone if someone doesnt stop this.
there is no difference between a vacant warehouse or a vacant lot, 12:26.
both are unused, sitting there, attracting the criminal element.
a hotel is a great service which helps make a neighborhood more vibrant.
if you’d rather have a vacant warehouse over a nice new shiny red roof inn filled with tourists, move to detroit.
if you really and truly think that a major national chain like a comfort or holiday inn in the year 2008 (sandwiched between 2 multimillion dollar neighborhoods) is catering to the hourly rate set, you are quite dellusional.
you clearly don’t know what you’re talking about. hotel le bleu runs around 250 bucks a night and everytime i’ve walked by there since it opened, the parking lot was nearly full.
in fact, i called to ask for my parents to stay there in a couple weeks and the 2 nights i was looking for were sold out.
do some actual research before you spout nonsense.
12:15 & 12:09
The problem with your argument is two-fold – the lot wasn’t vacant prior and the area wasnt/isnt under served by low-end motels – w/in a 5 block radius you have a Comfort Inn and a Holiday Inn Express.
The potential for this motel to become a nuisance/hourly motel is large and it just amazes me that the same groups that howl at condo’s on 4th Ave, a bank on 5th Ave, high-rises in downtown or an arena over a railyard don’t have a peep to say about an unneeded motel in an industrial/warehouse area. (lets not forget that prostitutes on 3rd Ave were not such an uncommon site a few years ago.)
Historically, you’ve had two choices in the CG/CH area: pay through the nose for the Marriott downtown, or go with the Motor Lodge right next to the Battery Tunnel.
While I question the judgment of building a “Hotel le Bleu”, there is definitely a market for hotel rooms in this area.
And for 12:01: A hotel in an underserved neighborhood is, in and of itself, an amenity. It’s hard to get agitated when a vacant industrial lot is put to use as a hotel.
10+ miles to midtown? you must be traveling thru nj 1st.
Probably 5-6 miles.
increased development in a warehouse and abanonded lot district is usually good news, 12:01.
i see a vacant parcel much more of a nuisance than a comfort inn.
just because you cheat on your wife, does not mean everyone else does.
Four story economy hotel in a non-residential, warehouse district – Hello????
This will be a hot-sheet motel for cheating Park Slope Milfs and their craiglist hookups in no time.
It is amazing to me that the nearby neighborhoods protest virtually everything and yet here is something that could so easily become a nuisance and will offer nothing to the neighborhood in terms of aesthetics or amenities gets built without a peep.
11:22
In terms of the hotel market, it is a city in and of itself. The legal definition of the word “city” is not really relevant when you are looking at a particular real estate market.
Midtown is a different market 10+ miles away.
Hotels are concentrated in Midtown because it is an area that is 1) desirable and 2) the zoning allows for high-density hotels. Such areas are few and far between in the boroughs, thus you have few hotels.
Current zoning pretty much pushes hotels in either high-density office districts or industrial districts.