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The land use, zoning and housing committee of Community Board 3 last night passed a resolution that supported the conversion of a stalled hotel project at 180 Ludlow Street on the Lower East Side to a rental apartment building, according to a report by thelowdownny.com, which is run by Ed Litvak and Traven Rice.
The developer, Serge Hoyda of 180 Ludlow Development LLC, has applied for a variance from the city's Board of Standards & Appeals.
His attorney, Jessica Loeser, told the committee last night that "in an act of good faith, Serge is willing to offer, or kind of donate, five apartments to be affordable," adding that he is "doing this without any government program...understanding the importance of affordable housing."
"Committee members proposed an alternative," the article said, "that would make it possible for Hoyda to provide more than five 'affordable' units by permitting residents to use federal housing subsidies. In a resolution that passed 6-1 (with 3 abstentions), the committee agreed to support whichever arrangement is a better deal for the community."
The full Community Board will vote Tuesday on the resolution that also requires that the developer not permit a bar or restaurant selling liquor on the ground floor and that he provide a community meeting room, try to hire local workers and give residents in the Community Board area a first shot at the "affordable" units.
The 19-story building has been topped out but not completed and was originally planned to have 170 guest rooms and a rooftop lounge. It is just to the south of a 23-story rental apartment known as the Ludlow at 188 Ludlow Street that was completed last year.
Hoyda has already applied for a variance with the NYC Board of Standards and Appeals.
The committee reluctantly signaled its support for the conversion, in part, due to a novel proposal from the developer.
According to the report, Hoyda's conversion plan would create 158 rent-stabilized apartments, mostly studios that would rent for $1,200 to $1,300 a month, Ms. Loeser told the committee, adding that "Loeser said, 'this is not a luxury building. This is a market-rate, no frills building. It's not obscene and it's not affordable. It's somewhere in the middle.'"
H. Thomas O'Hara was the architect for the project.
The developer, Serge Hoyda of 180 Ludlow Development LLC, has applied for a variance from the city's Board of Standards & Appeals.
His attorney, Jessica Loeser, told the committee last night that "in an act of good faith, Serge is willing to offer, or kind of donate, five apartments to be affordable," adding that he is "doing this without any government program...understanding the importance of affordable housing."
"Committee members proposed an alternative," the article said, "that would make it possible for Hoyda to provide more than five 'affordable' units by permitting residents to use federal housing subsidies. In a resolution that passed 6-1 (with 3 abstentions), the committee agreed to support whichever arrangement is a better deal for the community."
The full Community Board will vote Tuesday on the resolution that also requires that the developer not permit a bar or restaurant selling liquor on the ground floor and that he provide a community meeting room, try to hire local workers and give residents in the Community Board area a first shot at the "affordable" units.
The 19-story building has been topped out but not completed and was originally planned to have 170 guest rooms and a rooftop lounge. It is just to the south of a 23-story rental apartment known as the Ludlow at 188 Ludlow Street that was completed last year.
Hoyda has already applied for a variance with the NYC Board of Standards and Appeals.
The committee reluctantly signaled its support for the conversion, in part, due to a novel proposal from the developer.
According to the report, Hoyda's conversion plan would create 158 rent-stabilized apartments, mostly studios that would rent for $1,200 to $1,300 a month, Ms. Loeser told the committee, adding that "Loeser said, 'this is not a luxury building. This is a market-rate, no frills building. It's not obscene and it's not affordable. It's somewhere in the middle.'"
H. Thomas O'Hara was the architect for the project.
Architecture Critic
Carter Horsley
Since 1997, Carter B. Horsley has been the editorial director of CityRealty. He began his journalistic career at The New York Times in 1961 where he spent 26 years as a reporter specializing in real estate & architectural news. In 1987, he became the architecture critic and real estate editor of The New York Post.
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