NYC Neighbors Fight Homeless Shelter Plan On Posh Manhattan Block

Photo: The City

Possibly checking in to the former Park Savoy Hotel will be 140 homeless individuals.  The Mayor’s office has plans for a homeless shelter, and a state Appellate Division denied a motion by opponents to extend a temporary injunction that placed a roadblock on the shelter in May, according to The Wall Street Journal. 
 
The project is continuing as of mid-June when the state Appellate Division’s First Judicial Department vacated the temporary relief granted by the court last month.  A group of neighborhood residents, who have formed the West 58th Street Coalition, filed the lawsuit against the city last July.  The group plans to appeal the recent ruling.
 
The former Park Savoy Hotel, and soon to possibly be shelter, is located right behind the pricey One57 condo building, which was formerly known as Carnegie 57 and nicknamed "The Billionaire Building".  
 
According to the group’s lawsuit, the building goes against city fire and safety regulations because there is only one way to enter and exit. Currently, buildings need at least two means of egress. It looks like the group might need another legal track as that’s not a problem for buildings built before 1910.  The city has said that this building is not required to comply with the current regulation and the FDNY did approve the building’s Fire Protection Plan.
 
Suzanne Silverstein, president of the West 58th Street Coalition, told the WSJ that all city projects should be up to code. She said that “anything the city sponsors should be at a higher level of safety, because the people they’re putting in there are already at a disadvantage.” (That does make sense…)
 
“With yet another court affirming the City’s need for these crucial beds and determination that the shelter is safe, this is another victory for common sense and compassion,” Isaac McGinn, a spokesperson for the city’s Department of Homeless Services, told Curbed in a statement. “We look forward to opening our doors to hard-working neighbors in need at this location as soon as possible—and will continue to work with the community to ensure our clients are embraced and supported as neighbors.”
 
This project is part of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Turning the Tide plan which hopes to be focused on supporting 140 homeless individuals who are currently employed or looking for employment.