Local merchants will rally in continued opposition to proposed homeless shelter

August 19, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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SOUTHWEST BROOKLYN — BUSINESS LEADERS IN BENSONHURST, BATH BEACH AND GRAVESEND are expected to join Assemblymember William Colton on Wednesday, Aug. 21, in the latest protest against a homeless shelter being constructed at 2501 86th St. The 11 a.m. rally at the aforementioned address comes after over a month of daily protests outside the site, which commenced after word that the developer was poised to begin demolition of the existing building. The developer of the site is Tejpal Sandhu of 86th Street NY LLC. Sandhu has filed papers with the city’s Department of Buildings to construct a 32-room hotel with a community facility attached. Colton alleges that the Sandhu Group makes a practice of constructing so-called hotels in unexpected locations, then leasing them to the city at a cost of thousands of dollars per resident per month.

Over 50,000 people have signed a petition in opposition to the plan. “The city needs to rethink its wrongheaded policy and begin building permanent affordable housing with accessible support services that could really help our homeless neighbors,” said Colton.

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