Overview
- Judge Sabrina Kraus blocked the May 1 intake start at 8 East 3rd Street on Wednesday and set a May 7 hearing, while allowing construction to continue.
- The lawsuit by the VOICE coalition and ten residents argues the city used a 2022 emergency declaration to bypass required environmental, land‑use, and public review.
- City officials say they must vacate the Bellevue intake site because of fire safety violations, failing plumbing and steam systems, exposed wiring, and decades of neglect.
- The relocation plan shifts intake to existing East Village shelters run by Project Renewal, including 117 short‑term beds at 8 East 3rd Street and a second site at 333 Bowery.
- Legal Aid and the Coalition for the Homeless support a lawful intake facility yet warn the East 3rd Street building must meet ADA and Butler settlement rules, as online critics highlight backlash in a neighborhood that heavily backed Mayor Mamdani.