[The Halloween scene outside 1 OAK. Photo: Flickr/secretbenjamin]
The reason nightlife moved to the Far West Side is because no one really lived there, and club owners chased out of more residential neighborhoods could flourish in the mostly industrial Wild Wild West. Or maybe that's not the reason, but that's our theory and we're sticking to it. But thanks to the rebirth of the High Line, West Chelsea is overstuffed with new residential buildings, and trouble may be brewing. Many of these ultra-expensive properties are still a ways out from seeing move-ins, but one completed building—developer Related's smash-hit Caledonia at 17th Street and Tenth Avenue—appears to be having some noise issues with it's Gossip Girl co-starring neighbor, according to one new resident:
I recently moved into The Caledonia, and I have been unable to sleep most nights due to noise issues:
1. 1 OAK creates a traffic situation that results in repeated honking usually between 1 and 4 am. The club has blamed a crane that is parked at the end of the block for the High Line renovation, but in fact the traffic is caused by the club, which I can clearly view from my apartment -- not by the crane.
2. Music can be heard in my apartment with the windows closed even when I wear earplugs up until 4 am. The music comes from either 1 OAK or Park Restaurant, which sometimes hosts nightclub-like parties on Sunday nights lasting until 4 am on Monday early mornings. I do not know whether a restaurant is even legally permitted to play such loud music at 4 am on a Monday morning. I have repeatedly called 311 but the situation has not improved. I understand that our building is addressing this with 1 OAK and Park, but the condo association has not yet been formed so the condo owners cannot take collective action. I have lived in this apartment for over one month and have had problems sleeping the entire time. There are also some new residential buildings on 18th Street (e.g., 520 West Chelsea and the Chelsea Modern) that I am sure are affected by the noise levels.
Ruh-roh. West Chelsea clubowners, meet our friend Snowball. Now watch him roll.
· The Caledonia [Official Site]
· New Development Update-o-rama: West Chelsea Mega Edition [Curbed]For more stories from Curbed, go to curbed.com.
