(NYC PLANNING) May 19, 2021

The Citywide Hotel Special Permit aims to create a consistent approach to hotel development citywide. It is a proposed amendment to New York City’s Zoning Resolution.

Until the COVID-19 pandemic halted most new construction in March 2020, new hotels outpaced other types of non-residential development in some parts of the City. In some cases, this altered established patterns of activity and the environment New Yorkers, visitors and all businesses share.

Hotels are an important use of land that can support substantial economic activity, both inside the city and around the region. Hotels lodge an estimated 28 million visitors and account for $13 billion for the city’s economy. The proposal would require the City Planning Commission to consider a new hotel’s potential for adverse effects on use and development in the surrounding area before it can be established.

Over the last 15 years, the City Planning Commission has adopted a variety of hotel special permits for specific neighborhoods. The proposed Special Permit would apply to many areas across the city, so that New Yorkers can rely on consistent, predictable rules for hotel development. 

Read our NYC Hotel Market Analysis, an overview of the hotel industry and accommodation market pre- and post-COVID.

Source: https://www1.nyc.gov/site/planning/plans/citywide-hotel/citywide-hotel-overview.page