In another example of the outer borough hotel boom, a developer has obtained work permits to construct a seven-story Comfort Inn for downtown Jamaica, the Queens Chronicle reported. But the location has left some neighbors puzzled.
The hotel is set to rise on a 6,300-square-foot lot at 89-34 162nd Street that developer Rajendra Patel purchased for $2.1 million in 2007. It is expected to cost between $7 million and $8 million and contain 72 rooms.
The planned structure complies with zoning regulations for the plot so Patel didn’t need community board approval, but community members in the area are skeptical of the plan’s viability, according to the Chronicle.
“It seems like an odd location,” said Community Board 12 Chairwoman Jacqueline Boyce. “I wonder who would stay there … [it’s] away from our major airports and might not attract people that are traveling for an overnight or week’s stay.”
One board member went so far as to predict the hotel would fail, get sold to the city and give way to a homeless shelter.
But Patel said the proximity to the Jamaica Avenue business corridor is a strong selling point. [QChron]