Crescent Suites Hotel owner petitions to turn it into apartment building

The owner of the Crescent Suites Hotel is asking the city for permission to turn it into an apartment building, saying it’s no longer economically or practically viable as a hotel.

A lawyer representing Dennis Dyer, who bought the 287 Crescent St. hotel in 2015, told trustees of the Municipal Affordable Housing Trust Fund on Sept. 8 the hotel is too small to hire an outside management company to run it and he personally can no longer keep up with the work it entails.

Dyer’s lawyer appeared at Monday’s City Council meeting seeking city approval to operate it as a rental property.

The hotel’s special permit allows Dyer to rent 14 of the 30 units for long-term stays of 90 days or more on month-to-month leases. Dyer’s lawyer told the City Council that the long-term rental rooms are currently at full occupancy but the rest of the hotel sees higher vacancy rates.

Dyer doesn’t plan to do any additional construction on the building. All of the hotel’s rooms are one-bedroom or studio setups with a kitchen and a bathroom. Two are accessible. The building has 48 parking spaces. 

Ward 8 Councilor Cathyann Harris, who represents the neighborhood where the hotel is located, spoke supportively of the development, saying she hasn’t received any neighborhood complaints about it.

“We’re appreciative of [the project] bringing affordability to the community without a lot of … construction,” she said.

The council will discuss the hotel again at next week’s Ordinances and Rules Committee, which will also consult with the city Law Department on how to apply the city’s affordable housing ordinance to this case.

The Crescent Suites hotel was originally built by Michael Colomba, a local business owner who is in the process of getting a permit to build another boutique hotel on Moody Street, this one combined with a restaurant and event hall.