A recent proposal to have all New York City hotel projects formally reviewed by local community boards has raised eyebrows among local land use attorneys who say the plan will waste developer resources by adding unnecessary red tape and political battles to the application process.

Currently sitting with a city council committee is a proposal that would require community boards to review and hold public hearings on all proposed hotel projects, notably affecting so-called “as-of-right” projects that would otherwise just need to show compliance with existing zoning to move forward. Attorneys say that the rule, if enacted, would bring needless hurdles and conflict to the application process.

“Its a delaying tactic that in the end adds money and time to a development proposal and has no effect on the ultimate result,” Robert S. Cook Jr. of Anderson Kill PC said.

The current rule proposal doesn't change the fact that the New York City Department of Buildings would need to approve the hotel plan if it meets all the zoning requirements, and community boards would not hold the same leverage with the agency that they do with the city planning commission, which must sign off on projects that require zoning changes, experts say.