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Shaoul lists units at contentious East Village building without BSA nod
Sixth-floor units at 515 East 5th Street yet to be authorized for occupancy
The saga over Ben Shaoul’s controversial upper-floor additions at 515 East 5th Street in the East Village rumbles on – with listings for four studio apartments at the building appearing online despite not being authorized for occupancy.
The city’s Board of Standards and Appeals has yet to decide whether occupancy should be allowed in the sixth-floor units, part of a controversial addition built by Shaoul’s Magnum Real Estate Group in 2006. The board is set to rule later this month.
But online listings indicate that the units are “available now,” according to DNAinfo, despite the floor not having a certificate of occupancy and the building technically not complying with local zoning regulations.
Shaoul has faced much criticism for his two-story addition at the property, consisting of a sixth-floor addition and a seventh-floor penthouse, from community groups and tenants alike. Shaoul defended the work, citing Department of Buildings approval for the project.
The Board of Standards and Appeals ordered Shaoul to demolish the top-floor penthouse last year, eventually giving the developer a July deadline to take it down. Shaoul reportedly acquiesced to the board’s order and is now seeking to legalize sixth-floor occupancy. [DNAinfo] – Rey Mashayekhi