UES Rep Urges City To Reject Third Avenue Homeless Shelter

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin is calling on the city to reject a proposed homeless shelter at 1587 Third Ave. on the Upper East Side, according to a public letter sent to the commissioner of the Department of Homeless Services Thursday.

In the letter, Menin said that although she has supported two other shelters in the neighborhood, the location, the property owner's history and concerns surrounding another nearby shelter make this site "uniquely inappropriate."

"I would like to express my strong opposition to the proposed homeless shelter at 1587 Third Avenue and to urge its swift rejection due to the location and property owner," the Upper East Side representative wrote.

The location, near the corner of East 89th Street, is within a half-mile of 16 schools and preschools, as well as "numerous childcare facilities" and senior living centers, by Menin's count.

The property in question is owned by Liberty One Group, co-owned by David Levitan, a landlord on the Public Advocate's annual "Worst Landlord Watchlist" for allegations that tenants were deprived of hot water at two separate properties.

A petition launched in May, which now has nearly 8,000 signatures from Upper East Siders, opposes the project.

Petition organizers argue that while they're not opposed to shelter in general, the location, at 1587 Third Ave., is unsuitable due to its density and nearby schools.

The petition also criticizes the city for what they call a lack of transparency.

"Given the extraordinary concentration of children, families, schools, and seniors surrounding this site, the documented concerns associated with nearby shelter operations, the applicant's troubling track record, and the overwhelming opposition already expressed by local residents, I respectfully urge DHS to swiftly reject this proposal and pursue more suitable locations that do not place such a disproportionate burden on a densely populated residential neighborhood," Menin wrote.

See Menin's full letter below.