Manhattan turf war: ‘Billionaires Row’ vs. homeless shelter
NEW YORK — Some of the world’s wealthiest people have apartments in the half-dozen new skyscrapers built along a stretch of Manhattan’s 57th Street known as “Billionaires Row.” And soon they may have an unwanted new neighbour: a homeless shelter.
The city has approved a plan to house 140 single men in what was once the budget Park Savoy Hotel on West 58th Street, a modest building right next door to the back entrance of One57, one of the sleek new towers springing up in Manhattan to serve the superrich.
Unit owners at One57 include billionaire Michael Dell, who set a record for the most expensive home ever sold in New York City when he paid $100 million for his apartment in 2014.
The placement of the shelter in such a location is in line with campaign promises by Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio, who won office by assailing income inequality and public policies tilted to favour the wealthy. But the proposed shelter, steps from Central Park, has been met with howls of outrage from some people who live on the surrounding blocks, many of whom are not rich.