Local pols wary of footballer’s style=”color

Footballer Emmitt Smith’s proposed $80 million Harlem hotel, which received the city’s backing last month, is drawing criticism from some local politicians and activists over whether the project will benefit the community. Smith, of the Dallas Cowboys and television competition “Dancing with the Stars,” wants $19.8 million in tax-exempt financing for the 200-room hotel and retail facility at 125th Street and Lenox Avenue, which is slated to have a Whole Foods on the ground floor, as well as a YMCA and a cultural center on the third and fourth floors. According to the Wall Street Journal, City Comptroller John Liu said Smith’s proposal was vague and that he will vote against granting the project tax-exempt financing. The New York City Capital Resource Corp., which is controlled by Mayor Bloomberg’s office, is slated to hold a hearing tomorrow to discuss the plans; a vote is scheduled for Tuesday.  [WSJ]