Downtown Express

Description

January 22 - 28, 2010 Mixed Use By Patrick Hedlund Nolitan no-go The city recently determined that an under-construction hotel in Little Italy has violated established height limits in a protected historic district. The Nolitan, a nine-story-plus boutique hotel at the corner of Kenmare and Elizabeth Sts., sits in the Special Little Italy District, which only allows for buildings up to eight floors, or 85 feet. The project began courting controversy last summer, when curious neighbors observed the 60-room hotel growing beyond the height of buildings in the district. The developer subsequently added a series of penthouse units above the ninth floor to provide further evidence of its inappropriateness. Ill effects caused by earlier work at the site, including damage to neighboring buildings, brought about a Department of Buildings-issued stop work order, followed by an audit of the hotel determining its “mezzanine level” should have been counted toward the building’s total height, or nine stories. The developer appealed the decision, but in a Jan. 19 letter the D.O.B. confirmed that the mezzanine level

Products & services

Similar companies nearby