City moving forward with plan to limit hotels in industrial zones

The city is advancing legislation that would require hotels to get a special permit to build in industrial areas.

The City Planning Commission began the public review process on Monday for the proposal, which would make it harder for developers to construct hotels on land that is zoned for manufacturing, according to Crain’s.

Some planning experts have criticized the bill as an attempt to limit hotel construction despite record high tourism in New York City. Some hotels in manufacturing zones have also been credited with revitalizing their neighborhoods, such as the Gansevoort and Standard in the Meatpacking District and the William Vale and Wythe in Williamsburg.

Members of Bill de Blasio’s administration argue instead that industrial businesses offer high paying jobs and mobility to people who do not have a college education.

The City Council would have to approve the special permit, and members have expressed support for the idea.

However, Mitch Korbey, an attorney at Herrick’s, told Crain’s that fears of hotels taking away manufacturing jobs were overblown.

“Hotels built in manufacturing zones have created many more jobs and sparked much more economic development than they have displaced,” he said. “The loss of thousands of manufacturing jobs in the city over the years has nothing to do with zoning or hotels.” [Crain’s] – Eddie Small