180 Orchard hotel plans scrapped

The construction site at 180 Orchard Street

Developer Morris Platt’s planned hotel-residential-retail development for 180 Orchard Street on the Lower East Side is going through some growing pains, according to the Lo-Down blog. The stalled project has reentered negotiations with the Department of Buildings, according to Sion Misrahi of Misrahi Realty, the firm responsible for leasing the development’s planned commercial space. At the moment, Morris Platt has opted to scrap the hotel plans and make the space all residential, with a commercial ground floor, according to Misrahi, who said that banks were reluctant to finance a hotel project. The final hurdle to DOB approval for the project, is overcoming community opposition. But with the erstwhile hotel planned scrapped, Misrahi said he’s optimistic that the project may garner more support as an apartment building.