Nolitan Seeking to Legalize Its Illegal Height in Special Little Italy District

Community uproar was in no short supply back in 2010 as the Nolitan hotel quickly rose at the corner of Kenmare and Elizabeth Streets. At issue was the illegal height of the structure, nine stories, which clearly broke the zoning regulations set for this area.  You see, 30 Kenmare resides in the Special Little Italy District, a swath of real estate that allows for construction no higher than eighty-five feet. And then there’s the stipulation [PDF] that “exterior materials of the front wall shall be predominantly of masonry.” No variance was initially sought and construction-on-the-sly plowed forward unhindered.

Two years later, the Nolitan is now confronting its egregious non-compliance by seeking the proverbial “Get Out of Jail Free” card from Community Board 2. On Thursday evening, the hotel at 30 Kenmare will appear before the Land Use subcommittee to argue for “legalizing a built mezzanine” on premises. Translation – we fucked up and want you to forgive and forget. If this application isn’t an admission of guilt, we don’t know what is.