Over the weekend the Times filed an update on the 20-story hotel project at 31 West 15th Street, a deal made possible by an air rights purchase from Xavier High School next door, an arrangement that infuriated neighbors due to what they called a lack of notice from Community Board 5. The hotel, developed by Tishman Hotel and Realty, would take the place of an old union hall (right) and tower over the nearby buildings between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. The Times reports that the 15th and 16th Streets' block association filed suit in State Supreme Court to overturn the transfer of the air rights and have the plan re-examined. They want an environmental review, arguing the neighborhood can't support the hotel, its deliveries and round-the-clock maintenance. The case is still pending. A CB5 meeting last week to discuss the matter was basically an anti-hotel rally, but one person wagging a finger at the residents is the executive director of the laborers' union that used the current building for more than 75 years. He said, "We were here when the new condo and co-ops were built. Some of our new neighbors did not like the sight and sound of our members having union meetings. It's a little ironic that they are the ones making the noise now." Ouch, how's that BURN, Chelsea?
· A Venerable School, and a Future Hotel [NYT]
· Chelsea Too Late to Fight 15th Street Condo-Hotel? [Curbed]
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