Mayor Bill de Blasio blindsided Manhattan’s “Billionaire’s Row” with꧑ a quietly announced plan to o✅pen a men’s homeless shelter in the former Park Savoy Hotel.
The building at 158 W. 58th St. — which stands back-to-back💞 against the city’s most expensive apartment building, One57 — is being converted into housing for 150 residents and is schedu🅰led to open in March, the city’s Department of Homeless Services said Wednesday.
Hizzoner’s plan — part of a program to cre𒆙ate 90 new shelters across all five boroughs — was revealed last week in letters to local elected officials.
“Are you ꧟kidding me?” said a resident of the landma🍷rk JW Marriott Essex House hotel and condo building on Park South.
“I am in shock. You just shocked the s–t out of me.”
Victoria Bader, a dancer who’s been living on West 58th Sꦰtreet for the past two years, said, “How does this happen? We had no warning.”
Patricia Jenkins, who works in marketing and lives near🐻by, expressed frustration that “the city has a homeless epide🔯mic and there seems to be no solution.”
“I don’t have an 𒀰answer, but I 🌟know I do not want a homeless shelter in my neighborhood,” she said.
Ric🌠h Montilla, director of security for One57 and the adjacent Park Hyatt hotel, said he was “concerned for our guests going out in that area — we have an 💧exit and entrance there for guests and condo owners.”
“I don𒉰’t know if these gentlemen are v🗹iolent, I don’t know what to expect,” he said.
When de Blasiℱo announced his Turning the Tide on Homelessness program last year, he said that neighbors would get at least 30 days’ notice before a shelter opened, and pledged that officials would “take into a📖ccount reasonable community concerns and input.”
During a Tuesday news conference, de Blasio noted: “I told you well before the elections there would be 90 new shelters, they’ll be in every 🍸kind of ne🅰ighborhood.”
DHS said the Park൩ Savoy housing will be run by Westhab, which manages shelters and affordable housing in Westchester and the Bronx.
Security measures will include a♈t least two guards at the entrance and 56 surv𒊎eillance cameras in and around the building.
The 🦋property is owned by New Hampton LLC, which bought it for $3.875 million in 2004, according to city records.
John Pappas, who’s listed i☂n state records as the company’s official contact, declined to comment.
Additional reporting by Bruce Golding