Partner Quoted in ‘POLITICO Pro’ on Hotel Housing Program

BCLP Partner James Colgate was quoted Feb. 3 in POLITICO Pro concerning a New York state program established last year that sought to seize on a unique opportunity presented by the pandemic to provide funding to convert struggling hotels into supportive housing. Earlier versions of the bill included provisions that would have removed regulatory hurdles to the conversion, including relaxations of zoning and building code requirements. But these relaxations were removed from the final bill, and as a result only one application to seek funding was submitted to the state agency. Lamenting the removal of the relaxation, James said, “[t]here are very few hotels that physically could be converted and comply with the requirements of today’s zoning and building code without substantial, expansive reconstruction, partial removal or demolition.”