Judge Sides With City In Billionaire's Row Shelter Challenge

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — Plans for a 140-bed homeless shelter inside a former hotel near Midtown's "Billionaire Row" can move ahead after a New York State Supreme Court judge sided with the city in a recent court ruling.

Justice Alexander Tisch ruled Monday against residents who argued the former Park Savoy Hotel on West 58th Street between Sixth and Seventh avenues is unsafe for occupancy and that the area is over saturated with shelters, court records show.

City Department of Homeless Services Commissioner Steve Banks said the decision is a "win for hard-working New Yorkers experiencing homelessness who will have the opportunity to get back on their feet at a high-quality, employment shelter."

"With the court’s affirmation of the shelter’s safety and compliance with the City’s building and fire codes, we will begin serving our neighbors in need at this location as soon as possible—and remain committed to working with the community to ensure our clients receive a warm welcome," Banks said in a statement.

The former Park Savoy Hotel shelter has been approved by both the city Department of Buildings and Fire Department for use as a shelter, a city DHS spokesperson said. The spokesman said the new shelter is not located within a mile of another DHS shelter.

A lawyer representing the West 58th Street Coalition, the group of neighbors who filed the suit, told THE CITY, which first reported the decision, that the group intends to file an "immediate appeal."

"This unsafe building should not be permitted to operate as a homeless shelter," Attorney Randy Mastro told THE CITY.

The proposed shelter is part of Mayor Bill de Blasio's "Turning the Tide" plan to tackle homelessness in New York City, city officials said. That plan calls for the creation 90 new homeless shelters in various neighborhoods around the city, even wealthy areas like "Billionaire's Row." By building shelters in every part of the city, people facing homelessness will not be forced to move out of their home boroughs and can be closer to their support systems or jobs while they seek permanent housing, city officials said.

Many area residents packed an auditorium in February to claim that West 58th Street is simply inappropriate to house the homeless. Several people pointed out that the area is crawling with tourists visiting Central Park, and a shelter there would present a negative image of New York City to travelers. Another resident claimed that the future residents of the shelter would be demoralized and driven to crime by the neighborhood's $6 coffees and the expensive dresses hanging in Bergdorf Goodmans.

The shelter at the Park Savoy Hotel will be called the Park Savoy Rapid Re-Housing and Employment Center and all of its 140 residents will be either employed or "employable," representatives from the nonprofit Westhab said. The nonprofit will provide around-the-clock security featuring guards posted at shelter entrances and 109 new security cameras in the facility.