NYCHA West Chelsea Redevelopment Temporarily Blocked Again

A fresh round of legal issues has cropped up for NYCHA’s planned redevelopment of a West Chelsea public housing complex.

The New York State Supreme Court’s appellate division issued a restraining order to stop the demolition of the Fulton and Elliott-Chelsea Houses, Crain’s reported. The city’s public housing authority plans to appeal the temporary injunction.

“The court recognized that not every housing plan actually serves the public interest,” an attorney for the plaintiffs said after the restraining order was issued.

“We will await the court’s final decision after consideration of the full appeal,” a spokesperson for NYCHA said.

It’s the latest setback for a revamp that was set to finally begin in the winter, only to be bogged down by legal challenges.

In December, former state Sen. Thomas Duane filed a lawsuit, claiming NYCHA’s plan for the site was illegal because it involves leasing the properties to Related Companies, seemingly in violation of a state law dating back to 2010 that requires NYCHA to control the site. A judge quickly denied that challenge, but it was appealed, leading to Thursday’s ruling.

In November, a judge refused to force two senior citizens residing in the Fulton and Elliott-Chelsea Houses to vacate. Most of the residents can stay in place while work is done to build the forthcoming properties, but some are being asked to temporarily relocate, which has sparked a rash of lawsuits.

NYCHA and Related Companies filed plans for a 12-story, 217-unit building at 401 West 19th Street over the summer.

The development team, which also includes Essence Development, is replacing more than 2,000 public housing units. They will also build retail and commercial space, as well as 3,500 mixed-income apartments, 1,000 of which will be designated for affordable housing. The $2 billion plan would see the demolition of 19 existing buildings containing more than 2,000 units.

— Holden Walter-Warner