By Doug Miller
But should the Zoning Board of Appeals grant its owner, Leo Zucker, a series of variances after its Aug. 23 hearing, the chronically empty Jackson will be no more.
Zucker and a group of partners, including the developer Ebrahim Shokrian, hope to tear down the Jackson and two adjoining lots and erect a two-building, 70-unit condominium complex on the site. The proposal, which requires variances for the building's height, density, side and front yards and building area, would add two more tall residential towers in a neighborhood already thick with them.
Zucker's attorney, Denis Kelly, a former zoning board commissioner and Democratic City Councilman, said the continued failure of the Jackson Hotel to attain solvency left its owner with no alternatives. "One of the engines behind this proposal is that the Jackson has never sustained itself," Kelly said Monday. "It is not a profitable venture and it won't be, and he's got to do what he can to sustain himself."
The buildings would be 90 feet, 2 inches high, well above the 35-foot maximum permitted in that residential zone, and have a swimming pool and plaza between them. The project would meet the code's requirement of 140 parking spaces in a garage underneath the complex. The Jackson currently offers no off-street parking.
The new project is a partnership among Zucker, who owns the hotel, GTO of Long Beach, which owns the garden apartments next door, and Shokrian, who owns two single-family residences on the east end of the proposed project's lot.
The hotel struggles to find guests, Kelly said. During the summer it draws occasional beach goers and groups looking to take advantage of its kosher kitchen. But for most of the year its occupancy hovers around zero, and the ownership struggles to cover its minimal bills, Kelly said.
For instance, in 2006-07, the Jackson paid $37,336 in Long Beach taxes, according to city records, a total that does not include its Nassau County and Long Beach School District taxes, which are higher, but were unavailable at press time. The building is assessed at $5.4 million.
If the project is rejected, the Jackson will not be the city's only hotel for much longer. Construction on the Superblock development, with its dozens of luxury condominium hotel rooms, is scheduled to begin this fall.
"A hotel in Long Beach that is not on the boardwalk either can't work, or won't be what you want it to be," Kelly said. "And even if [Zucker] invested millions in upgrades, it still has no parking."
The hotel is currently a non-conforming commercial building in a residential zone. Should the property revert back to residential use, it will have the effect of shifting slightly more of the city's tax burden onto homeowners, according to Maureen Coyle, the city's assessor. If 75 percent of the city is residential, then residents are responsible for 75 percent of the tax burden. When the percentage of residents hits 76 percent, their taxes go up accordingly, although some of the difference will be covered by the condo buyers. "The more commercial property you knock down, the higher the residential tax rates go," said Coyle.
Comments about this story? DMiller@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 213.
