At a meeting on August 17th, some members of the Garden City Board of Trustees used a request to amend the Village Code relating to hotels to push representatives from the Garden City Hotel to give a date when the hotel's nightclub will be shut down. The police have been called to the hotel-owned Posh Ultra Lounge several times this year for violent offenses.

Hotel representatives would not provide an exact date, only saying that the nightclub will be closed once a certificate of occupancy is sought for new condominiums they plan to build in the hotel.

Local Law 2-2006 was approved with a 6-1 vote (Lamberti opposed, Mauk excused absence). It amends the Village Code with regard to Hotel H districts to allow an increase in the amount of square footage allotted to apartments/condominiums from 75 percent to 82 percent.

The owners of the Garden City Hotel are seeking to convert the top four floors of the building to condominiums and requested that the law be amended to allow the conversion, which would result in 82 percent of the total floor area in the Hotel district to be used as apartments.

The local law itself was not controversial; what proved to be the sore spot between hotel representatives and trustees was a clause that trustees added to the law which states that nightclubs, cabarets and similar uses will not be permitted in buildings with a hotel and apartments. Under both the old and amended Code, these uses are permitted when there is only a hotel on the property.

Trustees, who want the nightclub closed, used the opportunity to make these accessory uses nonconforming when apartments are added. However, at last Thursday's Board meeting, there was some confusion as to when the nightclub must be closed.

Superintendent of Buildings Michael Filippon emphasized that the nightclub "cannot be there at the time the first certificate of occupancy is requested." The hotel must ask for permission to remove the nightclub at the same time it requests a permit application to build the new condos. Patrick Smalley, the hotel's executive vice president, had commented that the nightclub would be gone with receipt of the certificate; however, Filippon stated several times that it must be gone before his department will grant the hotel a certificate of occupancy.

Trustee Thomas Lamberti said the nightclub is "not a compatible use with our environment." Smalley said the hotel is anxious to get the condominium work completed and then will close the club. He said that it is "not financially feasible" to close the club immediately.

This year has seen an increase in more violent offenses at the nightclub when compared to last year. The number of case reports also looks to be increasing when comparing years: Last year there were 21 case reports; this year there have been 19, with four months left to go. Although some case reports were made at the hotel, the majority were taken at Posh Ultra Lounge.

On July 14, a 22-year-old male from Bayside stabbed a club bouncer in the leg and assaulted a Nassau County police officer, causing a knee injury. Three other males were arrested for second-degree riot, including a 23-year-old from New Jersey, a 23-year-old from Astoria, Queens and a 24-year-old from Pt. Pleasant, New Jersey.

On May 21 at 4:10 a.m., gunshots were fired in the parking lot. According to published reports, a dispute between two groups inside the hotel's club escalated into gunfire. No injuries were reported. No arrests have been made; the investigation is still pending.

On March 31, five people were arrested after they became involved in a physical altercation with security guards, causing injury to four of the guards, including a broken nose. One defendant involved allegedly caused injury to three of the guards, swinging a baseball bat he obtained from his vehicle while another allegedly punched and shattered the window of the valet parking booth.