Ben Shaoul, who probably still can't figure out why nobody seems to like him very much, has finally been ordered by the Board of Standards and Appeals to remove part of the illegal addition he had constructed on top of 515 East 5th Street, EV Grieve reports. Shaoul was first ordered to remove the addition (along with another illegal addition on a building on East 6th Street) in 2008, after which his lawyers filed the legal equivalent of an "awwww, come on," and managed to hold things up until now. (The other addition was removed last September.) Shaoul, as always, abides by the maxim that it's better to beg forgiveness (i.e. have your lawyers argue with city agencies) than ask permission (i.e. abide by fire and safety regulations).
The additions were originally approved by the Department of Buildings, who do share some portion of the blame for this debacle, but would have necessitated Shaoul adding an elevator to the building as well, which he had no intention of doing. The BSA has now given him 60 days to remove the seventh floor, after which it will grant the zoning variances to allow him to keep the sixth floor. Whether or not Shaoul plans on complying with that timeframe (highly doubtful) is another matter entirely.
· BSA tells Ben Shaoul to remove the illegal penthouse on East 5th Street within 60 days [EVG]
· 515 East 5th Street coverage [Curbed]
· Ben Shaoul coverage [Curbed]