The construction of new Whole Foods and Five Below discount stores is putting tenants of the Trump Palace on the Upper East Side at risk, the condominium’s board of directors said in a lawsuit.
According to Manhattan Supreme Court filings, demolition work flooded the luxury building’s basement, electrical room and garage, and excavation work caused gas leaks that left more than 400 residents unable to use stoves or clothes dryers.
To make matters worse, construction workers illegally drilled holes in the sign last week, damaging the tower’s “irreplaceable” granite facade, according to the lawsuit.
When the building manager tried to talk to the site foreman about the sign, he was told to “get out,” the building’s board said in legal documents.
The committee said the works had been carried out with “reckless disregard” for residents and had caused “significant and continuing damage” to the luxury high-rise building.
The group is calling for a halt to activities such as drilling and jack-hammering while investigations and gas restoration efforts are carried out.
The lawsuit also seeks at least $500,000 in damages from each of Whole Foods, Five Below and Regency Centers, the owner of the commercial property below the apartment building.
The store was scheduled to open in September.
Lawyers for the stores did not immediately respond to questions from The Washington Post.
The 55-story tower on East 69th Street is touted as the tallest building in the area, offering full-floor penthouse apartments priced up to $6.9 million, in addition to a separate building of townhome-style units on East 68th Street.
The building was designed by Frank Williams and constructed in 1990.
