Fractional-ownership of transient units will minimize influx of tourists. On January 9, 2008, the Planning Commission approved Millennium Partners’ application for a special permit to facilitate the conversion of six floors of extended-stay hotel units into transient hotel units. The Phillips Club consists of two buildings on the same zoning lot: the 10- story Phillips Club Building, formerly the Chinese Mission to the United Nations, located at 155 West 66th Street; and floors four through seven of the 32-story Tower Records Building located at 1965 Broadway. The club is located within the Special Lincoln Square District, which limits commercial floor area to 100,000 sq.ft. in order to discourage high-intensity commercial uses.

Currently, the Phillips Club offers 106 extended-stay rental units with minimum stays of 30 days. The club also has 64 transient hotel units with typical stays of less than seven days, but no more than 28 days. The proposal seeks to convert all the extended-stay units into 98 transient units, which would make all 162 units operated by the Phillips Club transient hotel units. The conversion would not affect the buildings’ structure, but would bring the total commercial floor area to 226,774 sq.ft., necessitating a special permit.

At the public hearing, Millennium’s representative noted the relatively high number of tourists among the Phillips Club’s clientele, many of whom patronize the Lincoln Center complex located immediately south of the club. A representative for Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer testified in favor of the application and emphasized that it had strong community support.

The Commission approved the proposal, finding that the conversion would not increase the volume of pedestrian and vehicular traffic in the surrounding neighborhood. Moreover, the Commission noted that the transient hotel units would not be as prone as traditional hotel units to large numbers of daily guests, such as convention attendees and tour groups, because a significant portion of the units would be sold on a fractional ownership basis.

The proposal is now before the City Council for its review.

Review Process
Lead Agency: CPC,Neg.Dec.
Comm.Bd.: MN 7,App’d, 38-0-1
Boro.Pres.: App’d
CPC: App’d, 10-0-1
Council: Pending

CPC: The Phillips Club (C 080 054 ZSM – spec. perm.) (Jan. 9, 2008). CITYADMIN