Chelsea Green to face photographer in court over $4M property damage suit

The developers of the 51-unit Chelsea Green condominium are scheduled to face off in State Supreme Court on Wednesday with a landlord and professional photographer who claims her five-story property is being damaged by debris from the adjacent construction site.

Lili Almog, photojournalist and owner of 145 West 21st Street filed suit on Sept. 17 against Alfa Development, alleging that beginning last year, her building’s roof and chimney was hit by debris from demolition work at the site and that the basement — the location of her art studio — has been damaged by mold and leaking water from the site. She is seeking temporary restraining order and more than $4 million in damages.

Almog’s lawyers alleged that property worth thousands of dollars have been damaged, and that two tenants have refused to renew their leases as a result of the conditions. She claims that while the development firm, led by its chief executive Michael Namer, promised to protect her property and fix the damage, she has gotten a run around for months.

“They haven’t lived up to their agreements,” attorney Larry Hutcher told The Real Deal.

Almog also claims that the Chelsea Green developers wanted her to merge her property with the condo site into a single zoning lot, and promised to make payments to her for lost rent.

The 14-story Chelsea Green wellness condo, designed by the Stephen B. Jacobs Group, will have LEED gold certification, with units ranging from $875,000 for a 771-square-foot one-bedroom unit to $8.39 million for the 3,110 square-foot penthouse, according to Streeteasy.com.

The project was 50 percent under contract as of June.

The city Department of Buildings issued two partial stop work orders on the Chelsea Green developers on September 6, citing electrical work without a permit and the lack of overhead projection for the adjacent site.

A spokesperson for Chelsea Green said the developer would not comment on pending litigation.