A New York State Supreme Court judge has dismissed a lawsuit aimed at halting the city’s plan to relocate its primary intake shelter for homeless men to a building in Manhattan’s East Village. The decision clears the way for the city to proceed with moving the facility 20 blocks south from its longtime location near Bellevue Hospital.

Judge Sabrina B. Kraus ruled on Wednesday that the city provided a reasonable justification for the transfer to 8 East Third Street, a site that has previously served as a shelter and had housed an intake center in the 1980s. The building most recently operated as a shelter for homeless men dealing with substance-abuse issues. Residents in the surrounding neighborhood had challenged the move, arguing that the transition of the shelter to an intake facility—where stays are typically short—would significantly disrupt the community. They contended that such a change required extensive review processes.

In her ruling, Judge Kraus acknowledged neighbors’ concerns about the potential impact on the character of the block but stated that the court could not override the city’s decision-making. “While I understand the frustration with the lack of opportunity to be heard on an issue that may change the character of their block and neighborhood, I cannot substitute judicial judgment for the city’s,” she wrote.

Randy Mastro, attorney for the residents opposing the move, indicated his clients were considering an appeal. He highlighted the difficulty of challenging municipal decisions given the legal deference granted to city officials but emphasized the importance of holding government accountable.

The legal dispute over the East Village intake shelter is part of a broader set of challenges confronting New York City’s shelter plans following the closure of the deteriorated Bellevue intake shelter earlier this year. In March, city officials announced that the building near Bellevue was unsafe and needed immediate closure, prompting the need to relocate hundreds of shelter beds.

Separately, a judge recently blocked the opening of a 110-bed shelter at a Ramada hotel in Brooklyn’s Crown Heights neighborhood pending the resolution of another legal challenge. Some local residents expressed concerns about insufficient notification from the city and noted the existing concentration of social-services facilities in the area.

City officials indicated that the shelter openings in Crown Heights and elsewhere were necessary to compensate for bed shortages after the Bellevue intake center’s closure. The Department of Social Services emphasized ongoing efforts to manage and optimize shelter capacity across the system for single adult men in need.

Another planned shelter in Brooklyn, a 130-bed men’s facility in a former Red Roof Inn on Flatbush Avenue, also faces opposition from community members who cite its proximity to the Kings Theater, a local landmark, and nearby luxury apartments.

New York City’s shelter system, which includes hundreds of sites managed by numerous nonprofit organizations, continually adjusts to shifts in the homeless population. Local opposition often centers on concerns about crime, open drug use, and street harassment associated with shelters, as well as claims that shelter locations are unevenly distributed across neighborhoods.

A 2023 city comptroller’s report found wide variation in shelter bed density by community board district, with some areas having no beds and others housing as many as 90 beds per 1,000 residents. Crown Heights and the East Village were ranked near the middle, while Flatbush fell in the lower third of shelter density.

Elsewhere in Manhattan, residents near a “safe-haven” shelter at 320 Pearl Street recently filed a lawsuit challenging the city’s updated neighborhood impact study. This shelter, characterized by fewer rules and restrictions, was permitted to open in January following a judge’s order for additional evaluation after concerns about its proximity to an elementary school. Some neighbors have expressed fear over having such a facility so close to the school, with one former resident stating that he moved away to avoid sending his children to school near the shelter.

As the city navigates these legal and community challenges, it continues balancing the demand for emergency housing with neighborhood concerns across its boroughs.