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.
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