Spa obtained special permit despite Council member objection over use. On July 18, 2006, BSA granted a special permit to Spa World, allowing a 49,634-square-foot, three-story spa at 11-11 131st Street in College Point, Queens. The project site’s 30,124-square-foot lot was formerly vacant and is located in a manufacturing district that contains several residential and commercial uses. The three-story facility will provide sauna, skin, and massage treatments on the first floor; hot tubs, hot pools, saunas, and an outdoor spa on the second floor; and exercise equipment and a yoga/aerobics room on its top floor.

At the time of its application, Spa World had already begun construction of the building but required a special permit for the proposed use as a “physical culture or health establishment,” or PCE, under the zoning resolution. To qualify as a PCE, the primary use must be a gym or massage use; saunas, tubs and whirlpools are permitted only as incidental uses to the primary function of the building. (read more…)