Chelsea Hotel residents take renovation battle to the streets

A battle between residents of the Chelsea Hotel has spilled into the streets.

Seemingly endless renovations of the famed address have ground to a halt because some tenants are suing the owner, claiming the construction will force them out. (The owners say it won’t.)

Now, other tenants have staged a demonstration, begging for the renovation to resume so they can finally stop living in a construction site. At 11 a.m. Thursday, demonstrators called on the city — which is holding up the work until it issues yet another permit to continue — to “permit construction and repairs of the building to proceed, allowing the tenants to regain peaceful enjoyment of their homes,” according to a press release.

Zoe Pappas, president of the tenants association, said that by allowing the work to be held up, the city is forcing tenants “to live in a construction zone indefinitely and depriving the community of a cultural landmark that is a part of the fabric of New York City, which could generate hundreds of local jobs and millions of dollars in tax revenues.”

Seven tenants have filed lawsuits, according to a report last month by NY1. Residents of 24 units have written letters of support for the construction to continue. The renovations have been ongoing since 2011. The hotel’s played home to famous names, including Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen and Janis Joplin.

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