Brooklyn Pol Proposes Community Input on Hotel Projects

Brooklyn District 45 City Council Member Jumaane Williams has proposed that community boards review all hotel developments in their areas, even as-of-right projects. Williams chairs the City Council’s Committee on Housing and Buildings.

The purpose of the law is to preserve the character of neighborhoods, Williams told The Real Deal. “This legislation is needed to protect character of neighborhoods across this city, as communities change faster than zoning. Whenever a hotel, with a large number of transient occupants, is built, consideration must be given to its impact on the people living in that neighborhood,” he said.

Current zoning allows developers to build hotels in industrial neighborhoods where residential construction is not permitted. Above, an industrial building at 55 Wythe Street in a protected Williamsburg industrial zone is slated to be replaced by a hotel. Hotels have also been sprouting up in residential areas of Brooklyn, such as Sunset Park. Real estate execs said the proposed legislation would slow construction.

What do you think?

New Hotels Would Need Community Board OK Under Proposal [TRD]