Assemblyman William Colton (D—Gravesend, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach and Dyker Heights) is alerting residents living near the site of the proposed homeless shelter at 86^th Street and 25^th Avenue that a real estate agent may be trying to drum up business by scaring them into selling their homes, and is urging anyone who gets a letter to notify his office immediately.

Opposition to the homeless shelter has been strong and ongoing, with thousands of people turning out for protests, and tens of thousands of people signing a petition urging the city to reconsider its plan of opening a homeless shelter for 150 single men, many of whom struggle with addiction or mental health issues, at 2501 86^th Street.

One copy of the recent letter, which appears to have been sent out by a real estate agent affiliated with Skylux Realty, was shared with the assemblyman. It reads, in part, “If you’re a homeowner near this site, it’s critical to consider the potential impacts on your property and financial future.” The letter then goes on to suggest that “selling your home NOW could be the most important decision for you and your family,” because of “potential decline in property values” due, the letter suggests, to “market perception,” “buyer hesitation” and “reduced demand.”

“The clock is ticking!” the letter continues. “Contact us today to learn more. Sell before the shelter is built - secure your financial future.” The letter is written in English on one side of the page, and in Chinese on the other, and, according to the assemblyman, was distributed in the vicinity of 84^th Street and 23d Avenue.

“Clearly, an unscrupulous person is trying to take advantage of a stressful situation for the community,” said Assemblyman Colton, “by attempting to leverage it to their financial advantage. This is block-busting, plain and simple, and we will not tolerate it. My office has already notified the New York Department of State about this sleazy attempt to play on people’s fears, and I have asked for a full investigation. We will not allow such despicable tactics to tear this community apart.”

The assemblyman requested that anyone receiving a similar letter take a photo of it and forward it to him at coltonw@nyassembly.gov, with details about how it was distributed, including when and where. “We must verify who is doing this, and bring the weight of the law to bear upon them,” the assemblyman said.

The developer of the site is Tejpal Sandhu of 86^th Street NY LLC, who was the developer behind the shelter originally planned for 2147 Bath Avenue that was defeated by ongoing community opposition led by Assemblyman Colton. According to Assemblyman Colton, the Sandhu Group makes a practice of building so-called hotels in unexpected locations then leasing them to the city at a cost of thousands of dollars per resident per month, all coming from taxpayer dollars, money that would be better spent, the assemblyman contends, building affordable housing. In this case, Sandhu has filed papers with the city’s Department of Buildings to construct a 32-room hotel with a community facility attached.