City tells landlord to remove penthouse

The owner of 514-516 East 6th Street needs to remove the penthouse of his building to comply with a ruling issued yesterday by the city, according to the New York Post. The Board of Standards and Appeals voted to approve a sixth story that had been added by developer Ben Shaoul to his East Village tenement last year, but not the penthouse above it, said lawyer Marvin Mitzner. The attorney said the decision was a “three-quarters victory” for Shaoul, who had been seeking the right to expand a tenement without having to strip it to the foundation. Tenants had been demanding that the entire addition be rejected and had complained to City Council member Rosie Mendez that the extra floors put them in danger by taking out an emergency exit on the roof. Mitzner countered that when the extra floors were added, Shaoul made upgrades to the fire safety system throughout the structure that actually exceeded code requirements. Mitzner plans to ask for a similar variance for the Shaoul family’s building at 515 East 5th St., where another story and a penthouse were also added. [Post]