Multimillionaire riles UES neighbors with renovation

Residents say construction could damage their homes

116 East 78th Street
116 East 78th Street

Upper East Side residents are up in arms over a Hong Kong textile giant’s renovation plans for his townhouse in the neighborhood.

Alfred Chan, founder of clothing brand Ports 1961, reportedly wants to install rooftop netting, a construction fence and scaffolding around his 7,286-square-foot home at 116 East 78th Street to add space, balconies, A Pool And A Rooftop Terrace. The residents next door, however, want none of it.

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Although the protective structures would encompass an adjacent apartment, Chan’s neighbors told the New York Daily News that possible damages from the construction, including possible damage to pricey artwork, will cost them thousands of dollars and intrude on their daily lives.

Despite Chan’s offer of $7,500 to pay for an engineer review, security cameras and insurance, the neighbors told the Daily News that they aren’t happy and have fought approval for the project since 2011, only a year after Chan and his wife purchased the five-story townhouse for $7.3 million, according to property records. [NYDN] — Angela Hunt