Following the discovery of what may be asbestos during the demolition of a controversial proposed homeless shelter, Assemblyman William Colton (D—Gravesend, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach and Dyker Heights) and City Councilmember Susan Zhuang (D-Bensonhurst, Bath Beach, Gravesend, Dyker Heights, Boro Park and Sunset Park) are calling on the city to ensure the safety of the community by authorizing an independent asbestos inspection at 2501 86th Street.

The duo’s demand took center stage during a press conference held on Wednesday, April 15, 2026, just days after the city’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) issued a Stop Work Order almost immediately after the discovery was made.

“It’s long past time that the city take seriously the concerns of this community, which has been, quite frankly, ignored by both the prior and the current administration,” said Assemblyman Colton. “The previous administration allowed the developer to skip numerous important safety requirements, even though we warned then that the potential consequences could be dire. Sadly, we appear to have been correct in our fears, and now we are doubling down on our demands that the interests of the neighborhood, and the homeless people the city ostensibly wants to serve, be prioritized so we don’t end up with a time bomb at the heart of our community that, five, ten or 20 years from now, causes a tragedy that could have been prevented, had the city taken appropriate precautions at the start.”

“We need to be sure that a full, thorough and accurate asbestos investigation is completed by a reputable inspector,” said Councilmember Zhuang. “As a mother of two, I care deeply about the health of our community. We urge DEP to permit the 86^th Street Community Alliance to bring this inspector in and ensure our community’s health.”

Both Assemblyman Colton and Councilmember Zhuang had previously warned that the asbestos inspection that ostensibly had previously been done might have been fraudulent, as the inspector who performed it has prior criminal convictions for filing fraudulent asbestos reports in New York City, and they raised the possibility that he actually never went to the property at all when he said he was there.

The project, which had been stalled, was suddenly accelerated last month. Assemblyman Colton and Councilmember Zhuang have repeatedly contended that the city’s homeless population would be better served by the construction of affordable housing with supportive services available as necessary, and that the costly project, part of $8 billion spent annually on homeless services, is basically a giveaway to developers and the organizations that run the shelters. In this instance, the developer is Sandhu Builders.

The demolition began in late March, with trucks arriving on the evening of Palm Sunday, despite numerous objections both to the project and to the process by which the project came about, which has been filled with irregularities since its inception.

Opposition to the shelter – which is planned to house 150 single men -- has been strong and sustained since the city announced in late 2023 that it planned to open it on a busy shopping strip, near homes, religious institutions, day care centers and senior centers. Numerous protests over the course of several months drew thousands of protesters, both at the site and at City Hall, and in the summer of 2024, daily protests at the site commenced. In addition, more than 53,000 people have signed a petition in opposition to the plan.