Lawmakers held a press conference Feb. 11 at the site of the proposed homeless shelter on 25th Avenue and 86th Street to question whether work was being done there without a permit.
Assemblyman William Colton and Councilwoman Susan Zhuang told protesters that the developer, Tejpal Sandhu of 86th Street NY LLC, started building a construction fence on the sidewalk around the site Feb. 10.
Colton received calls from local residents who claimed the workers removed fence posts when asked to show a permit.
“I am outraged that they began this work, without being able to show their permit, on a weekend, when construction such as this is prohibited without special permission,” Colton said. “Even worse, they disrespected area residents by beginning construction on the first day of the Lunar New Year, when many Asian people are celebrating, which also happens to be the Jewish Sabbath.”
In December 2023, the NYC Dept. of Social Services said 86th Street NY LLC would develop the shelter and VIP Community Services would run it. It would open in late 2024 and house 150 single adult men.
“We won’t let them take advantage of our homeless people,” Zhuang said. “We need places where families can live. We need to create more jobs for people. We need to give them proper training. No more human warehouses.”
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