Photo: TrumpSoho.com
The 45-story Trump SoHo Hotel Condominium is close to getting the go-ahead, today’s Daily News reports. The “Trump” and “SoHo” parts are self-explanatory — The Donald is establishing a foothold below Houston. As usual, superlatives abound: It will be the tallest building between 23rd Street and the financial district; David Rockwell will design; there’ll be rooftop cabanas; it’ll be yooge. But one thing is less clear: What the hell is a hotel condominium?
Well, a hotel condominium is what you build when you really want to build condos but zoning only allows you to build a “transient” (the city’s term) hotel. In other words, the 411-unit pile will essentially be an apartment building by another name — but owners will have the option of renting out their units, like hotel rooms, when they’re not there. This gambit unsurprisingly irks some of Trump’s detractors, who aren’t thrilled about the tall monstrosity’s impending arrival in an otherwise low-slung neighborhood. Under their pressure, the Buildings Department might restrict owners to only 100 or 150 days of occupancy a year.
Maybe the buyers can live the rest of the year at the Plaza Residences.
SoHo’s Trumped [NYDN]
