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Residents railing against a planned homeless shelter a block north of Billionaires’ Row have been given a temporary reprieve.
The city wants to open a homeless shelter in the former Park Savoy Hotel on West 58th Street, but a state appeals court has issued a temporary injunction stopping the construction, the New York Post reports. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the plans for 158 West 58th St., where the rear is adjacent to ritzy condominium development One57, in January 2018.
The West 58th Street Coalition initially sued the city in Manhattan Supreme Court, claiming the building was unsafe and that the increased loitering and crime would lower property values. The group’s request for an injunction was denied in a decision handed down in December.
“While safety issues constitute an important concern, the shelter has been issued a temporary certificate of occupancy and is presumably safe to open,” Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Alexander Tisch wrote in his ruling Dec. 12, according to the Post. “Aside from the safety issues, petitioners’ alleged harm regarding loitering and property values is speculative and does not form a sufficient basis for granting a preliminary injunction.”
The coalition appealed the decision, and last week, 1st Department Appellate Judge Jeffrey Oing issued a temporary stay in the proceedings. Arguments from both sides are due this month.
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