KEW GARDENS — A controversial 20-story hotel in Kew Gardens that was completed months ago but never opened is now up for lease, according to a broker.
Initially the tower at 123-28 82nd Ave., just off of Queens Boulevard and across the street from Queens Borough Hall, was supposed to open as The Queens Savoy Hotel and Residences by the end of last year or early this year, Steve Papas of Forge Realty, which owns the building, told DNAinfo New York last September.
But the 95,000-square-foot building featuring 84 hotel rooms, 38 apartments, a fitness center, commercial space and 44 basement valet parking spots, has been sitting empty for months.
An adjacent building, at 124-18 Queens Blvd., which used to house popular restaurant Pasta Lovers until 2008, when the owners decided to build the hotel in its parking lot in 2008, was gutted last year in order to be renovated. But construction stalled several months ago.
The hotel building, which is being watched by a security guard, is now for lease, according to Heritage Realty Services, which is marketing the property.
“The entire building is for lease,” said Mary Anderson-Gallagher, managing director at Heritage, adding that said she was not aware of what happened with the initial hotel deal.
Anderson-Gallagher said that Forge Realty is looking for a long-term lease. There is no set price and the owners are open to negotiations, she said.
Showcase.com, a real estate website, claims that the owners want to rent the property for $3.5 million a year, which Anderson-Gallagher said would be an acceptable price.
“Make us an offer,” Anderson-Gallagher said, adding that the price may depend on what the building would be used for.
Anderson-Gallagher also said that if someone is interested in purchasing the entire property she would also ask a prospective buyer to make an offer, which she would later present to the owners.
The adjacent restaurant building could also be part of the deal, she said.
The project initially drew the ire of the local community who feared it would bring more traffic, parking headache and noise to the area.
Numerous attempts to reach property owners for this story were unsuccessful.
