MIDTOWN —The City Council can join a legal fight to have a Chelsea homeless shelter reduced in size or closed down, a judge ruled.
New York Supreme Court Justice Joan Madden told the authority it could be added to a lawsuit against the Bowery Residents' Committee shelter, which opened its doors last Wednesday.
The lawsuit, filed by the Chelsea Business and Property Owners Association, also known as the Chelsea Flatiron Coalition, hopes to force the 328-bed shelter at 127 West 25th St. to shrink to 200 beds.
“While we are not opposed to a Chelsea homeless shelter, as it stands, this proposed facility exceeds the legal limit of beds,” said City Council Speaker Christine Quinn in a statement. “A super-sized warehouse style shelter is a disservice to both the homeless and the community-at-large.”
Muzzy Rosenblatt, the BRC's executive director, told DNAinfo the creation of the shelter and its size was within the law. He pointed to a previous hearing where Judge Madden denied a request by the Chelsea Flatiron Coalition’s request for a preliminary injunction to prevent the shelter from opening.
“I am completely confident that we will prevail on the merits,” he told DNAinfo.
