Six years ago, after Ian Simpson Reisner, a developer in New York, spent a few pleasurable nights at the Axel Hotel Barcelona — part of a small chain of upscale hotels aimed at gay visitors — he was struck with an idea.

“I called them up and said, ‘We have to bring this to New York,’ ” Mr. Reisner, a managing partner of Parkview Developers, said of the Axel’s owners. “They said, ‘Find a location and we’ll talk.’ ”

After a brief search, he found a cavernous, long-vacant space at the western end of 42nd Street that was owned by the management company BD Hotels. Now, after securing a lease, clearing licensing hurdles, starting a buzz in the gay press and perfecting architectural plans by Paul Dominguez of Parkview, the Out NYC Urban Resort — what Mr. Reisner calls a “supersize” version of his original plan — is set to open in stages starting early next year. (Mr. Dominguez is also a founding partner of the Out NYC and is the project's creative director.) The $30 million, 90,000-square-foot complex is to have restaurants and bars, a spa, a reception hall, retail stores and a huge seven-nights-a-week dance club, along with a 127-room Axel Hotel.