Asbestos riles residents at Chetrit’s Hotel Chelsea

The Chetrit Group’s Joseph Chetrit has been ordered to clear asbestos from shaft space at the Hotel Chelsea, the New York Daily News reported, in what is the latest legal clash between the developer and the Chelsea Hotel Tenant Association.

“Residents are very angry. Asbestos is a deadly substance,” said Zoe Pappas, president of the Chelsea Hotel Tenant Association.

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The asbestos is just the latest in a string of problems at the site.

A group of 34 permanent tenants sued the new owner in December, citing dangerous dust and airborne debris created by renovation work. Meanwhile, Chetrit filed motions to evict 10 longtime tenants from the property, confirming fears that the owner’s statements upon purchasing the hotel, which indicated tenants would be allowed to stay, would prove false. [NYDN]