Opening of Halfway House at Contested Flatlands Hotel Angers Some Neighbors and Elected Officials

The Holiday Inn Express at 5244 Kings Highway in Flatlands. (Image: Billy Richling/Bklyner)

The opening of a transitional housing facility at the site of a controversial Flatlands hotel development has angered some local residents and elected officials, who say they long predicted the site would be used for something other than attracting tourists.

Even before it was completed in 2019, the Holiday Inn Express at 5244 Kings Highway prompted pushback from neighbors, who questioned why visitors would want to stay at a site surrounded mostly by auto dealers and repair shops that is located far from any subway station.