Citing “new evidence,” city officials have withdrawn their bid to deny an owner of the legendary Chelsea Hotel clearance to complete renovations — allowing the transformation of the weathered landmark into an upscale hotel. A few tenants who’ve lived for years amid construction are questioning whether the evidence is to be trusted while others just […]
Chelsea Hotel
Posted inManhattan
Owners of Chelsea Hotel Harassed Tenants During Renovations, NYC Alleges
Sign up for “THE CITY Scoop,” our daily newsletter where we send you stories like this first thing in the morning. Unsafe conditions inside the historic Chelsea Hotel, caused by years of renovations, amounted to tenant harassment, city attorneys argued in a Manhattan courtroom Monday. During a city administrative hearing in a case against hotel […]
Posted inRunning Bill
City OKed Hotel Plan After Developer Hosted de Blasio Fundraiser
Shortly after hosting a fundraiser for one of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s political action committees in March, a developer got the city’s go-ahead to begin work on a new 20-story hotel, records show. In October 2017, Flushing-based Epos Development filed plans with the Department of Buildings to construct a hotel at 347 Lexington Ave., sandwiched […]
Posted inRunning Bill
Hotel Owners Seeking City Hall Help Threw a $90K de Blasio Fundraiser
Mayor Bill de Blasio netted $90,000 from a fundraiser thrown by the owners of the Chelsea Hotel days after they sought his administration’s help on their plan to renovate the building, THE CITY has learned. Hotel owners Ira Drukier and Richard Born collected contributions to de Blasio’s federal political action committee Fairness PAC, generated by […]
Posted inRunning Bill
Chelsea Hotel Steers Donations to de Blasio While Seeking Construction OK
Starting nearly a year ago, the owners of the historic Chelsea Hotel needed City Hall to approve their multimillion-dollar plan to turn the grungy landmark into a shiny luxury hotel with a rooftop lounge. Rent-stabilized tenants living in the hotel were accusing the owners of trying to force them out, and filed complaint after complaint […]