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Image courtesy of Google Maps
Elected officials, student activists and a local hospitality union are vowing to fight an attempt by the new owners of Boston’s largest hotel to convert hundreds of rooms into Northeastern University student housing.
A joint venture of Hawkins Way Capital and Varde Capital that’s acquiring distressed hotel and multifamily properties bought the 1,200-room Sheraton Boston in late January for $233 million.
The owners have indicated they will seek to convert the Back Bay hotel’s south tower – comprising 427 rooms – into Northeastern University dorm rooms, according to UNITED HERE Local 26, which represents approximately 500 hospitality workers. The conversion would eliminate approximately 100 jobs at the property, which is managed by Marriott.
Neither the hotel owners nor Northeastern have submitted an application to the Boston Planning and Development Agency. A hotel ownership spokesman referred to the original statement in February after acquiring the property, which said the firm “will continue to leverage our hospitality, multifamily and student housing expertise to refresh and/or reposition assets such as the Sheraton Boston Hotel.”
A hotel representative recently discussed the conversion plans at a Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay meeting about the property’s liquor license transfer. The NABB won’t take a position until a formal proposal is submitted, NABB spokesman Elliott Laffer said. Huskies Organizing With Labor, a pro-union student group, started an online petition against the project in April.
Boston city councilors adopted a resolution, sponsored by City Council President Ed Flynn, asking the hotel owners to reconsider the change of use, on March 28.
Local colleges and universities temporarily expanded into Boston hotels to facilitate social distancing during the early stages of the pandemic, when Northeastern originally leased rooms at the Sheraton.
It’s not clear how the potential expansion into the Sheraton would affect three other Northeastern dorm projects. Northeastern University spokeswoman Renata Nyul did not respond to requests for comment.
In March, the BPDA approved Northeastern’s plans to add 930 beds to its International Village complex at 1155 Tremont St. and the East Village residence hall at 291 St. Botolph St.
The school sought to increase density at the two properties amid delays in approval of its proposed 26-story, 975-bed dormitory at 940 Columbus Ave. The school also cited increased demand for housing because of a surge of first-year undergrads, which totaled 4,500 this year. The university typically has a first-year undergraduate class of 3,000 to 3,500.
Northeastern said it would cut its first-year admissions to 2,500 in the 2022-2023 academic year.
