Ben Shaoul has until July to remove illegal EV penthouse

Developer given latest deadline in saga at 515 East 5th Street

515 East 5th Street
Ben Shaoul and 515 East 5th Street in the East Village

The city’s Board of Standards and Appeals has given developer Ben Shaoul yet another deadline at the end of July to demolish an illegal penthouse addition at 515 East 5th Street in the East Village.

The Magnum Real Estate Group head’s additions on the sixth and seventh floors of the property have proven highly contentious in recent years, drawing community ire due to statutes in the city’s Multiple Dwelling Law regarding safety and elevator requirements.

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While Shaoul requested a zoning variance that would have allowed the floors to remain, the Board of Standards and Appeals ruled last year that the developer had 60 days to demolish the seventh-floor penthouse before it could consider whether the sixth floor could stay, EV Grieve reported.

Shaoul has now received another deadline to remove the penthouse by the end of July, according to EV Grieve, with city permits approved for the removal of both the penthouse and the sixth floor. [EV Grieve]Rey Mashayekhi