BY JILL SHEEHY

In a move that heralds the current value of Gowanus, one of the Brooklyn neighborhoods in the midst of a renaissance, the recently opened Comfort Inn located at 279 Butler Street was sold Jul. 30 for a whopping $22.27 million dollars. The selling price works out to $212,047 per room.

The Comfort Inn Brooklyn Bridge, which is less than two blocks from the Gowanus Canal and about two miles from the famed bridge, was sold by the joint partnership of Mc Sam Hotel Group LLC, of Great Neck, Long Island, and Vidu Brothers Corp of Bayside, Queens. The buyers are Magna Hospitality Group of East Greenwich, Rhode Island.

“Magna is very proud to be a part of the renaissance this neighborhood is enjoying right now and we’re excited to be bringing more new hotel rooms to Brooklyn,” said Bob Indeglia, president and CEO of Magna Hospitality in a statement. “We look forward to continuing to serve both our residential neighbors, the business community here, and visitors to the area.”

The Comfort Inn Brooklyn Bridge, a Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce Member, only opened their doors this spring. The City assessed the property as having a market value of $4 million at the beginning of the year.

According to the hotel’s Web site, “The Comfort Inn Brooklyn is located between trendy Cobble Hill and Park Slope neighborhoods offering a variety of upscale restaurants and boutique shops.”

City Seeks Proposals for Brownfield
In other news for the burgeoning ‘hood, the City last week issued a request for proposals for the brownfield at 5th and Smith streets, known as the The Public Place. The request is looking for a developer to bring residential, commercial, and community space, along with some green space, to the 5.8-acre site, which backs up against the Gowanus Canal.

Responses are due no later than Thursday, Oct. 11.

Link to RFP