Courtesy Hotel May Soon Check Out of West Hempstead

It appears an end may finally be in sight for the saga of a seedy hotel that has caused West Hempstead residents years of strife.

Although the Courtesy Hotel continues to welcome guests and advertise its infamously low rates for short-term stays, a developer is close to acquiring the property and wiping out the building. Mill Creek Residential Trust, formerly known as Trammel Crow Residential, has received permits from the Town of Hempstead to demolish the hotel and erect a 150-unit transit-oriented development on the site.

This is just one of the many "hurdles" the developers and the supporters of The Alexan@West Hempstead have had to overcome, said Rosalie Norton, president of the West Hempstead Community Support and Civic Association.

Norton, who was one of the major activists in bringing down the Courtesy, said she has been working closely with Mill Creek and Town of Hempstead Councilman Ed Ambrosino, to see the development plans succeed. Mill Creek entered into a purchasing agreement with the owners of the Courtesy, which would sell the property if the developer could get authorization to have the density and zoning laws changed.

"The developer couldn't move forward on anything until they had authorization for both of these, which wasn't received until early 2010," Norton explained.

The town had to create a new density category, "transit-oriented development," to allow a complex with this many residential units to be built in this area. The close proximity to the West Hempstead train station helped its case. Then, there was the problem that the property had been listed as eminent domain, which also slowed down progress, but now, "they're just waiting for the bank to get all the paperwork in order," Norton said.

Mill Creek announced that it hopes to close the deal by the end of 2010.

"It would probably be in a matter of days that they demolish it," Norton said, explaining that the vacant building would most likely be a liability if they kept it standing.

For nearly 15 years, the Courtesy has become a hot bed of criminal activity.

"It was a magnet for every illegal activity going down," Norton said. "The last five years were some of the worst - young girls statutory raped, shootings, muggings and robberies."  

It wasn't always the bad seed of West Hempstead though. Norton said that before the hotel started offering lower rates and shorter stays it was actually a site that was embraced by the community. The local Parent-Teacher Association would hold events there and parents would even bring their children to model in fashion shows held in the restaurant that was once located in the building.

"Parents had no concerns," she said. "Now, who would send their kid there?"

The only events that seem to bring members of the community out to the Courtesy Hotel lately are the rallies held outside the building calling for its demise. Over 100 residents turned out for one of theses protests on Mother's Day in 2008 and a year later, that number doubled. More than 2,000 residents signed a petition and a Web site was even erected to get out the message about closing the hotel.

"The people in the community really had had enough and were very upset," Norton recalled. "It united the community like nothing I've every  seen."

The plan that Mill Creek Residential Trust presented the residents appeared to be a win-win. It would rid the community of the Courtesy and add market-rate rental apartments, which they hope will attract young professionals and families to the area and encourage further development of its downtown.

"This will go a long way in revitalizing an area of our community that was in desperate need of attention," Norton said. " It's a stepping stone for a lot of positive things."  

Requests for comment from the owners of the Courtesy Hotel and their legal representation have yet to be returned.