Here's what Steve Cuozzo reported in the NY Post on Tuesday:
In the ongoing colorful saga of Joseph Moinian's hotel project at 237 W. 54th St., he's scaled down his plan from 34 stories to 27, according to filings with the Buildings Dept.
So modest a project wouldn't ordinarily merit much attention. But this one occupies a crucial location on a block where two enormous new buildings are already under way: Harry Gross' 67-story Marriott hotel at the corner of Broadway and West 54th Street, and Boston Properties' 900,000 square foot office tower at 250 W. 55th St.
Moinian demolished the small vacant building at 237 W. 54th to make room for his as yet unnamed hotel. That made nervous wrecks out of residents of 245 W. 54th St., the four-story rental apartment building next door that's also owned by Moinian.
The tiny structure they call home is sandwiched between Moinian's hotel site to the east -- itself next to the Marriott under full-bore construction -- and Boston's giant L-shaped tower to the north and west, soon to start above-ground work.
Tenants fear that an accident at Moinian's or Boston's work site could render their 100-year-old building uninhabitable. A recent small fire at 237 as it was being razed fueled their concerns.
This week, paranoia struck deeper when their superintendent moved out and the soup restaurant on the ground floor closed. Moinian declined to comment, citing a confidentiality agreement with an unidentified partner.
Read more:
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/busines...#ixzz1UeTzdIrm
So Moinian claims to have a secret partner (presumably an operator) with whom to build a 27-story hotel directly next to this Marriott. His only New York partners before this are Ramada and a downtown W. I can't imagine who would want to have parallel entrances on West 54th Street.