‘Billionaires’ sue over shelter

Residents of Manhattan’s “Billionaires’ Row” filed suit against City Hall on Monday in a bid to stop a homeless shelter from opening in their neighborhood.

The West 58th Street Coalition claims in its Manhattan Supreme Court lawsuit that the proposed shelter at the old Park Savoy Hotel (right) is not up to modern safety standards and would become a “firetrap” to its homeless residents and well-heeled neighbors alike.

“Petitioners bring this action to challenge the arbitrary, capricious, and irrational determination of [the city] to open a large homeless shelter in an unsafe building located just steps from Central Park that experts describe as a ‘firetrap,’ in what is otherwise a thriving neighborhood,” according to the lawsuit.

The project at 158 W. 58th St. was announced in February and the city has ignored fire, crime, construction and asbestos issues, the neighborhood activists claimed.

Lawyer Randy Mastro, representing the plaintiffs, said the city intends to issue a temporary certifi- cate of occupancy — allowing the homeless to move in, even while construction is still ongoing.

A rep for the New York City Law Department said he hadn’t seen the lawsuit Monday night and couldn’t immediately comment.

Isaac McGinn, a rep for the city’s Department of Homeless Services, said the Park Savoy project is crucial in helping “give employed and employable men from Manhattan experiencing homelessness the opportunity to get back on their feet.”