He alleged that the shelter was a “fire trap” because of its single entrance and staircase and that it was a safety hazard to “both the lives of residents, neighbors and first responders.”

Their 2018 lawsuit alleged that the Park Savoy building wasn’t safe enough to house a shelter and that it would bring crime and loitering that would lead to what the Guardian reported as “irreparable injuries.” By irreparable injuries, the lawsuit is referring to property values.Īfter the Park Savoy Hotel officially reopened as a shelter, Michael Fischer, a leading resident opposing the project, sent a statement to THE CITY. Instead of opening in 2018, the project was stalled for years because Billionaires’ Row residents took legal action to try to stop the homeless shelter from coming to their neighborhood. The project was part of former NYC mayor Bill de Blasio’s 2017 plan to open up 90 new homeless shelters in the city, with an emphasis on adding more shelter beds to wealthy neighborhoods. The Park Savoy Hotel was originally supposed to reopen as a shelter in early 2018. However, it only opened after years of delays and appeals from the powerful, wealthy residents that surround it.

A former budget hotel, the modest property opened in November 2021 as Billionaires’ Row’s first homeless shelter, with enough beds for 80 men. The Park Savoy Hotel, situated just behind the One57 tower, is a clear contrast to the opulence of the surrounding neighborhood.

At the time, Michael Dell’s purchase was a record-setting transaction, reaching a $100.47 million price tag. In 2014, Dell Technologies founder and billionaire Michael Dell bought a condo in the One57 tower that sits just one block south of Central Park, in a neighborhood nicknamed Billionaires’ Row. A Homeless Shelter in NYC’s Wealthiest Neighborhood Opened Only After Years of Fierce Opposition

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