The City Council on December 20th passed the M1 hotel text amendment which will require special permits for the building of new hotels or motels in light manufacturing, or M1, zones. The special permits must be obtained via the city’s official Urban Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) with votes held by the community board, borough president, city planning commission and city council. Unfortunately, the law provides a loophole for hotels in M1 zones dedicated “for a public use” — aka homeless shelters.