An empty Midtown Manhattan building once slated for high-end condos is the planned site of a luxury, for-profit rehabilitation facility for young people needing treatment for drug and alcohol addiction.
The fate of the building, at 140 W. 57th St., a Billionaires’ Row address a few doors down from Carnegie Hall, has been up in the air since its owner, the Feil Organization, cleared it of office tenants in preparation for a condo conversion that didn’t work out. Feil is suing its architects for poor advice, claiming it lost $4.7 million in rent-paying tenants and spent $2.5 million enticing them to leave.
Now a group called the Sackato Society is proposing to fill the space with New York City’s “First 5-Star Detox & Rehab facility,” according to a proposal submitted by the firm to Community Board 5, which will review it at a meeting Tuesday evening.
The private, for-profit center would treat clients ages 13 to 26, offering therapies for opioid, cocaine or alcohol addictions — with the perks of New York City living as part of the healing.
“This cutting-edge facility offers luxurious accommodations and amenities, providing the customers a 5-star experience while receiving the highest quality treatment,” read Sackato’s marketing materials, which promise private tutors and outings to Chelsea Piers.
Gatien Langue, listed in the community board presentation as the principal of Sackato Society, didn’t return an email seeking comment. Brian Feil, vice president of leasing at Feil Organization, declined to comment in an email.
The West 57th Street neighborhood is known as Billionaires’ Row for its concentration of new condo towers aimed at wealthy investors, many of whom pay cash for lavish apartments that they rarely use. The planned site of the rehab center is across the street from One57, a skyscraper where a penthouse was purchased for $100.5 million.
“Like everybody I’m just curious as to why this neighborhood,” said David Achelis, president of the West 50s Neighborhood Association. “Are they planning on helping the sons of the Russian oligarchs from the penthouses of One57? Is that who they’re planning on serving?”
The building, with a Morton Williams supermarket at its base, has 14 stories and about 76,000 square feet for rent, according to a fact sheet on the Feil Organization website. Feil acquired the building from Macklowe Properties in 2009, and in 2015 sought to redevelop it into condos — a plan that relied on adding floors to the building, according to Feil’s lawsuit.
After clearing the property of tenants, Feil learned that it couldn’t legally increase the square footage of the building, contrary to what its architects said was possible in an initial study, according to court documents. The lawsuit is pending.
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.
