Does Chelsea shelter violate zoning laws?

A controversial bid to open a homeless shelter in a manufacturing zone
at 127 West 25th Street in Chelsea won initial city approval based on
plans which hid key medical services that would violate zoning
regulations, the New York Post reported. In its application to the
Department of Buildings, the Bowery Residents Committee omitted nursing
stations, exam rooms and doctors’ offices from the plans. But in a
funding application filed with the state’s Department of Alcoholism and
Substance Abuse, the group’s architect included plans that were
significantly different and included the full range of medical
services. “In light of public statements and filings with other city
and state agencies, the department is reviewing the proposal to
determine if the project fully complies with the applicable laws and
regulations,” said Department of Buildings spokesperson Jennifer
Gilbert. BRC signed a 33-year lease for the building and committed to
roughly $12 million in renovations before it signed a contract with the
city’s Department of Homeless Services. BRC’s lawyers cited Donald
Trump’s luxury hotel at 246 Spring Street also in a manufacturing zone,
as a precedent for the project, which has drawn ire from local
residents. Asked about the conflicting plans filed to the city and
state, BRC’s director, Muzzy Rosenblatt, a former city Homeless
Services Commissioner, told the Post that the “the project is complying
and will comply with zoning and all other legal requirements.” [Post]

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