Yorktown Board Lays Welcome Mat for Boutique Hotels
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The Yorktown Town Board voted last week to amend the town’s Zoning Code to allow for the construction of boutique hotels in certain business corridors.
The anticipated decision paves the way for two proposed boutique-style hotels to move forward in the planning process in the recently established Yorktown Heights Overlay District through a special use permit.
“It’s important that Yorktown consider new uses for outdated properties,” said Councilman Tom Diana.
During a public hearing in August, most of the public comment centered on a three-floor hotel called Hotel Gardena, which, if approved, would be built on about a third of an acre of land at the corner of Veterans Road and Commerce Street, adjacent to Albert A. Capellini Community and Culture Center where a real estate office has been located for years.
Project plans, which first surfaced in late 2020, call for a 16-room hotel, with eight rooms, including four suites, on both the second and third floors ranging from 340 square feet to just over 500 square feet. The first floor would see a lobby, lounge and café, which would offer outdoor seating along Veterans Rd.
In addition, plans call for a rooftop bar and grill that would allow for both indoor and outdoor seating. Legal counsel for the project is former Yorktown Supervisor Michael Grace.
“This is not a final approval for the hotel. This is a textual change within our code to provide the parameters by which such applications can be reviewed and processed by our Planning Board,” said Supervisor Matt Slater. “This application—like any other within the overlay district—will receive the same level of review in accordance with state and local laws.”
A regional inn is also being proposed as part of the Underhill Farm project on Underhill Ave.
According to the new Zoning Code language, a boutique hotel is defined as a small, luxury hotel that does not have more than 25 rooms and offers an enhanced level of services with unique accommodations.
“Our small business owners need more customers in our hamlets. These new boutique hotel rules are one way to diversify the types of businesses in our shopping areas,” said Councilman Sergio Esposito.
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