High-end hotel planned for old Flushing newspaper building

The developer of a once-controversial spa in College Point is planning to turn an old Flushing newspaper office building into a high-end boutique hotel, according to the Daily News. The site, on Northern Boulevard near Flushing High School, currently houses a two-story, $300,000 building that was built in 1933 for the North Shore Daily Journal. While some local politicians wondered whether a market exists for luxury lodging in that area, construction is “as of right,” without a zoning variance by the city. Developer Steve Chon last faced opposition to his Spa Castle project in College Point because neighbors feared parking shortages and overdevelopment. Work permits at the new hotel site say that construction is slated for completion next year. [NYDN]