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Controversial Maspeth Shelter Opening Date Pushed Back: Officials

By Katie Honan | September 8, 2016 8:46am
 The crowd of people at the Knockdown Center turn their backs to Commissioner Steven Banks during a meeting for a proposed homeless shelter in Maspeth on Aug. 31.
The crowd of people at the Knockdown Center turn their backs to Commissioner Steven Banks during a meeting for a proposed homeless shelter in Maspeth on Aug. 31.
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DNAinfo/Katie Honan

MASPETH — The opening date for a controversial shelter for homeless adult families slated to go inside a Holiday Inn near Maurice Avenue has been pushed back after a lawsuit against the city, officials said.

Assemblywoman Margaret Markey said the city postponed the planned Oct. 1 start date after a telephone conversation she had with Mayor Bill de Blasio and Steven Banks, commissioner of the Human Resources Administration and Department of Social Services.

“This postponement gives us the opportunity to continue to bring pressure on the city to change its plan for Maspeth," said Markey, who has been fighting the shelter alongside Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley and state Sen. Joe Addabbo.

The elected officials filed a lawsuit against the city Sept. 1 to block the shelter, citing its violation of administration codes.

A source in the de Blasio administration confirmed the opening date was pushed back, but said the project will still move forward in October, and "will not be significantly delayed." 

Department of Homeless Services spokeswoman Lauren Gray said the proposal was still under review.

"As we announced at two community forums, we are continuing to review the proposal, and the start date will be determined as a result of the review," she said.

The lawsuit from elected officials was announced at a community meeting Aug. 31, where strident residents lined up to express their feelings on the plan. They yelled at Banks, calling him a "failure," and threatened to shut down the Long Island Expressway to get their point across. 

Markey was initially booed while going up to speak, and she told residents she was doing what she could to stop it from happening. 

"I am opposed to the shelter, I'm not giving any money to it," she told the crowd. "You are being manipulated." 

She later clarified that she believes people competing against her for her seat in Albany were stirring up residents.

"I think what we have here tonight is kind of showmanship, people who may want my job and it is what it is," she said.