Just one day after Assemblyman William Colton (D—Gravesend, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach and Dyker Heights) and City Councilmember Susan Zhuang (D—Bensonhurst, Bath Beach, Gravesend, Dyker Height, Boro Park and Sunset Park), joined by hundreds of area residents, held an emergency rally at the site of the proposed controversial homeless shelter at 2501 86^th Street, the developer sent workers and trucks to the site, despite the fact that it was Sunday night, when construction is not normally allowed.

The activity, which took place on the evening of Sunday, March 29, immediately brought the community out in large numbers. Notified of what was occurring, Assemblyman Colton and Councilmember Zhuang came to the site and strongly condemned the start of construction activity, while urging residents to stay peaceful as they protest.

“This is completely unacceptable,” said Assemblyman Colton. “Not only do you need a special permit to do construction work on the weekends and at night, but the demolition permit posted on the fence expired in February, 2025. And, to add insult to injury, Sunday was Palm Sunday, a holy day that should not be sullied in this way. This sort of behavior is one of the reasons why we are so opposed to the project, which will not help our homeless neighbors but will enrich a greedy developer who flaunts his lack of consideration for the community so openly.”

Rather than another homeless shelter, which doesn’t actually solve the underlying problems that cause homelessness, officials and members of the community say they would like to see the city, which spends some $8 billion annually on homeless services, try a different approach – constructing affordable housing and providing appropriate support services as necessary.

The effort to derail the planned homeless shelter swung into high gear last month after the officials learned from the Department of Homeless Services (DHS) that the project, which is being developed by Sandhu Builders, was being accelerated.

“Our homeless neighbors and this community as a whole deserve something better than this project,” said Assemblyman Colton. “It is no more than a band-aid that will not lead to the resolution we all desire – a fresh start for the people it would house, many of whom avoid city shelters because of their perceived danger. The site is close to schools, day care centers, senior centers and a busy shopping strip. In short, it is the wrong project in the wrong place. We are not saying, ‘Not in our backyard.’ We are saying, it’s long past time for the city to address the issue of homelessness with an eye to solving it rather than enriching developers, especially developers with a track record of problems.”

Of particular concern to the community and its representatives are the many shortcuts that have been taken by the developer and the city Department of Buildings (DOB), specifically the bypassing of key requirements like gas and water shutoff, electrical disconnection, sewer capping, rodent control, notifications to neighbors and Community Board 11, photos and safety documentation, and pre-demolition inspection, all of which are normally mandatory. In addition, concerns have been raised that the asbestos inspection, which DOB did require, was fraudulent, and that the inspector who said he had done the inspection, and who has prior criminal convictions for filing fraudulent asbestos reports in New York City, actually never went to the property at all when he said he was there. Also, a critical Stormwater Construction Permit from the city’s Department of Environmental Protection was missing without the alternative Determination of Non-Jurisdiction having been filed as of December, 2025.

Such shortcuts, the elected officials say, threaten the safety and well-being of the surrounding neighborhood and the residents of the shelter. “Clearly, this developer cares nothing for the people impacted by his project, or he wouldn’t have tried to sneak in to begin work late on a Sunday evening,” said Assemblyman Colton. “If he does this, with an expired permit, just think what other things he is doing that could endanger both the shelter’s eventual residents and the surrounding community.”

Opposition to the shelter plan has been strong and sustained since the city announced in late 2023 that it planned to open a homeless shelter for 150 single men at 2501 86^th Street. Numerous protests over the course of several months drew thousands of protesters, both at the site and at City Hall, and in the summer of 2024, daily protests at the site commenced. In addition, more than 53,000 people have signed a petition in opposition to the plan.