Report: Judge clears way for men's intake shelter to open on 3rd Street

A State Supreme Court judge has cleared the way for the city to relocate its main intake shelter for homeless men to 8 E. Third St. near the Bowery, ending a legal challenge that had delayed the move for more than a month.

As reported by The New York Times, Justice Sabrina Kraus ruled yesterday that the city provided a rational basis for moving the intake operation from the deteriorating former Bellevue intake center on East 30th Street to the East Village facility, which already houses a shelter. 

Neighbors who sued to block the move argued that converting the site into an intake center — where people typically stay only a few days — would have a different impact on the neighborhood than the substance-abuse shelter currently operating there. They contended that the change should have triggered additional public review. 

In her ruling, Kraus acknowledged residents' concerns and frustration over not having an opportunity to weigh in on a decision that could affect the character of the block, but said the court could not substitute its judgment for that of the city.

Attorney Randy Mastro, who represents the residents challenging the move, told the Times that his clients are considering an appeal. 

The city announced plans in March to move the intake operation to 8 E. Third St. after determining that the longtime men's intake center near Bellevue was in poor condition and needed to close immediately.

Project Renewal was founded in 1967, and the organization has used the spaces at 8 E. Third St. and 333 Bowery for decades.