West Village resident plans Clean Air suit to halt 150 Charles

150 Charles rendering and Steve Witkoff
150 Charles rendering and Steve Witkoff

A year after 11 West Village residents filed a lawsuit over alleged zoning improprieties to halt the construction of 150 Charles Street, more are joining the protest, though this time they are adopting a different legal strategy. Author Jean-Louis Bourgeois plans to file a lawsuit alleging that the 98-spot parking lot at the Witkoff Group’s 15-story condominium conversion violates the federal Clean Air Act.

He told the New York Post he hopes neighbors, such as filmmaker Julian Schnabel and photographer Annie Leibovitz, will join him.

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Last year, residents cited zoning violations, arguing that Steve Witkoff won special permission to enlarge the existing structure because the project is a conversion. But by tearing down the warehouse, he waived rights to the extra floor area, the suit said.

The 98-unit building is nearly all sold, the Post said. The condos hit the market in February, after Witkoff nabbed a $230 million construction loan from Wells Fargo and M&T Bank, as previously reported. [NYP]Mark Maurer