The historic Castle Hotel & Spa in Tarrytown promotes itself as a luxurious and tranquil retreat, but the neighboring Carrollwood condos claim it is a public nuisance.
The board of directors of the Carrollwood homeowners”™ association sued the Castle for $250,000, Oct. 26 in Westchester Supreme Court, claiming that stormwater runoff from a parking lot has created a sinkhole, eroded pavement and flooded Carrollwood”™s grounds.
The hotel did not respond to an email asking for its side of the story.
Castle Hotel & Spa has a commanding view of the Hudson River Valley from its high point at 400 Benedict Ave. It features 10 wooded acres, 31 guest rooms and suites, a health and fitness center, outdoor swimming pool, a wedding and events center and the award-winning Equus restaurant.
The resort”™s parking lot had consisted partially of pavement and partially of gravel. But when the Castle enlarged the lot, it allegedly repaved the entire space with nonporous material.
Now when it rains, according to the complaint, an underground drain diverts stormwater from the hotel grounds to Carrollwood. In some instances, floodwater allegedly restricts use of exterior stairways of the townhouses.
The homeowners’ association accuses the Castle of failures to construct the parking lot with porous pavement, install an underground detention system and increase drainage capacity.
Carrollwood charges the Castle with negligence, trespass and private nuisance. It is demanding $250,000 and a court order directing the hotel to fix the problem.
The Castle is owned and operated by Lenimentus NY and Sankara NY, affiliates of Hirakawa Corp., a Japanese conglomerate.
It was built from 1897 to 1910 by Howard Carroll, a newspaper correspondent, playwright, author and businessman. Carrollcliffe, as it was called, was styled as a Norman fortification, including a 75-foot tower.
In 1941, an investment firm bought it for its headquarters, and in the mid-1990s it was converted to a hotel.
Lenimentus bought the Castle in 2011 for $10.3 million from Elite Hotels, of Greenwich.
Carrollwood is represented by Mount Kisco attorneys Steven E. Waldinger and Heather R. Gushue.
