Neighbors Call on Adams to Reverse Plan to Convert Calhoun School into Homeless Shelter

With no formal process to raise their objections, residents of West 74th street have gone straight to Mayor Adams to ask him to overrule his own government’s plans to open a women’s shelter on the block.

What’s more, they are using his own appeal to find sites for more affordable housing to convince him to reverse course on the shelter.

At issue is the plan to turn the former Calhoun School at 160 West 74th street, between Amsterdam and Columbus Avenues, into a 146-bed shelter for women.

Calhoun sold the building last year for $14 million to Bayrock Capitol, a developer and private equity firm, with the initial understanding that the 128-year-old building was to be converted to luxury apartments, which the neighborhood was fine with.

But then the city instead made a deal with the developer to instead convert the building into a shelter to house the wave of migrant and local homeless that have overwhelmed existing facilities as more than 220,000 migrants have descended on the city in the past 2 1/2 years. About 60,000 are still housed in city operated shelters.

Neighbors rebelled, as they have in a variety of neighborhoods across the city. More than 220,000 migrants have descended on the city in the past 2 1/2 years, Adams said recently and about 60,000 are still housed in city operated shelters. Several critics noted that with the city spending billions to house migrants and the homeless it appeared to be more profitable to open a shelter than to build housing.

It may also be easier. Under emergency powers, shelters don’t require the same land use review and hearings that housing construction normally would, although in this case the Landmarks Commission has signed off on changes to the outside of the building.

“Mr. Mayor, we ask you to intervene to reverse the dead-of-night, bait and switch decision crafted behind closed doors that caught the community off guard,” wrote the group of residents, who have organized under the name Friends of the UWS 74. “We know this crass move is contrary to the otherwise open and honest manner in which you vowed to operate.”

The group sent a letter to the mayor and to school’s chancellor David C. Banks suggesting two better uses than a homeless shelter for the facility, a school or affordable housing.

But the Adams administration responded that the group was creating a false choice. “We cannot trade-off between critical safety net resources for vulnerable New Yorkers and affordable housing,” said Neha Sharman at the Department of Social Services, “which are both vital to ensuring that we are able to effectively address the citywide challenge of homelessness.”

The shelter, she said, “will be the first of its kind in this community to offer women experiencing homelessness critical safety net and rehousing supports to help them get back on their feet and transition to permanent housing.” This facility, she noted, was for long-term New Yorkers not asylum seekers.

The Upper West Side group insisted they were not practicing NIMBY –Not in My Backyard–but simply felt there were better uses for this structure on this block.

The group noted that Banks was under orders from Albany to reduce class sizes and that he was searching for more classroom space. “With the new school year quickly approaching, this site could be easily and quickly fitted for a school purpose at minimal expense,” the group wrote.

The building was original built in 1896 as a private school and has served as such until Calhoun sold it last year.

Demolition work has been underway, which neighbors report has spewed dust across their property.

In searching for a different use for the property, The Friends of UWS seized on the statement by Mayor Adams this week that he wanted all his agencies to examine every piece of city property to see if it could be the location for affordable housing.

“Mr. Mayor,” the group wrote, “We can help you.”

“Look no further, Mr. Mayor,” said Terry Rosenberg, who lives on the block and is director of Friends of the Upper West Side. “This building is in great shape. It just needs some basic renovation, and it could be a wonderful home for many.”

She noted that when Calhoun was selling the building, their agent, Cushman & Wakefield “last year marketed the building as ideal for housing. This is a win-win for the city, the neighborhood and hopefully, the new tenants.”

“This would be much faster than building new housing from the ground up.”

The group asked to meet with the Mayor at an apartment on the block on Thursday, August 29th or anytime in the two weeks after.

They have yet to receive a reply.

“We recognize the tremendous pressure you are both under to house the migrant and homeless communities,” the group said in their letter to The Mayor and the Chancellor, “as well as the pressure of fulfilling the new state mandated lower student to teacher ratios to reduce class sizes.”

Rosenberg said the Friends group had been organized after a Community Board 7 meeting in which they felt “questions and concerns, as well as those of our Council Member, Gale Brewer, were ignored and we were deliberately misled.” Brewer has said she opposes use of the old school as a shelter.

The Adams administration has said the Calhoun site and others have been selected under their equitable siting plan to make sure all neighborhoods carry their fair share of the burden of housing migrants and homeless people.

“We appreciate your pledge of transparency and your willingness to listen to New York’s citizens and the needs of the city’s diverse neighborhoods,” The Friends of UWS wrote. “Please stand up for the values you have championed and against this ill-advised scheme.”