A 75,000-square-foot office park in Rye that has been more or less vacant for two years may come back to life as a 150-room hotel. That”™s the plan that Alfred Weissman Real Estate has for the three-story building at 120 Old Post Road, off Playland Parkway. The developer owns and has offices in the building.
“We”™re at the beginning of the process,” Rye City Planner Christian Miller said. “They”™re initiating the zoning amendment process to provide for hotels in limited locations in the city. There”™s some vacant office building space in Rye, we”™re looking at potentially amending the zoning to provide for a broader range of uses. We”™re looking forward to what the community and various boards and commissions have to say about the proposals.”
The zoning petition was submitted a few weeks ago, along with supportive documents from some neighboring entities, such as The Osborn retirement community. A conversion could potentially increase the amount of tax revenue the property generates for Rye.
A new hotel could $400,000 in property taxes with an additional $184,000 generated by the hotel occupancy tax.
The application points out that about 20 percent of Westchester”™s Class A office space has been empty for the past three years, and that in many cases office buildings have been converted to health care facilities, banks and hotels.
Under the plan, the amount of parking would be cut from 240 to 169 spaces. Miller said a hotel needs less parking than an office building. The building would be redesigned somewhat to create a front courtyard by tearing down part of the existing structure and building an addition in back.
The hotel would not include large meeting or conference facilities, or a restaurant/bar, but would include a breakfast area, fitness area and gym, and pool.
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