Hotels. Here, There and Everywhere. But the city doth protest. Or do they?

Clarion Hotel, just built in Dutch Kills, Long Island City

There’s some chatter today in Crains about the rampant development of hotels in the city, especially in light manufacturing districts that are still waiting for rezoning: our beloved LIC of course (Dutch Kills in particular, though Court Square is certainly seeing some activity), and Gowanus, a neighborhood in Brooklyn similar to LIC in that its transitioning from industrial to more residential. Its also on the water, and has extreme toxicity issues to overcome, but that’s best left to a separate post.

Residents and council-people in both communities, as well as western SoHo, NoHo, and Hudson Square in Manhattan, are generally opposed to the hotel development:

“”It is clear that there’s an incredible loophole in our zoning laws,” says Councilman Bill de Blasio, whose district includes Gowanus. “Maybe 20 years ago, you could have justified that on the grounds of `Any development is good development for New York City.’ Today, you can’t.”

A whopping 227 hotel projects in the pipeline stand to increase the number of hotels in the city–currently 396–by a staggering 57%. Nearly two-thirds of the new ones will be limited-service hotels, which lack meeting rooms and catering halls but can lure budget-conscious tourists to unglamorous, mixed-use areas.

Critics say that by locating in these industrial zones, hotels squeeze out light manufacturing and its high-paying jobs. Bloomberg administration officials also sense a labor agenda at play: Council members’ demand for regulatory power over hotels in manufacturing zones would virtually ensure a unionized workforce, because most members would approve only unionized operations.

The immediate fight is about projects like the 13-story Holiday Inn planned for 39th Avenue in Long Island City. It’s one of 12 proposed hotels in a dozen square blocks of Dutch Kills, where two hotels have already been built.”

• Hotel boom sparks community backlash [Crains]

• Dutch Kills infested with over-development? [liQcity]