The starting gun has sounded for Kensico Properties’ slow march to a luxury hotel in Midtown Manhattan. The Department of City Planning certified the developer’s application to transform 509 Madison Avenue from a 21-story office building to a 30-story hotel, Crain’s reported. That officially launches the application into the seven-month Uniform Land Use Review Procedure, which will require approvals from numerous stakeholders before Kensico can go forward. Hoteliers Nabil and Fouad Chartouni are planning the Lowell Modern, a companion to the luxury Lowell Hotel in the Upper East Side. Their proposal calls for 96 rooms, amenities and a lobby across […]

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