These Wall Streeters would trade anything for a good night sleep.
Residents at a Financial District condo building have had their lives upended after a neighboring building installed emergency generators right beneath their windows — tormenting them with constant ear-shattering that sent some fleeing the state.
For three long weeks, the three massive commercial generators have been sputtering black smoke against the now-stained facade of 101 Wall Street, whose neighboring 500-unit luxury building is utilizing the obnoxious power sources after their electricity went out in a fire.
“There’s exhaust constantly flowing. My kids are sleeping in the kitchen, it’s absolutely unbelievable,” Shannon Edwards, whose fourth-story condo overlooks the chaos, told The Post.
“I’ve been around long enough, I understand what happens in the city, but this is so egregious because there are actually noise laws. It’s not supposed to run 24 hours a day — my living room is shaking. It’s a nightmare.”
The generators were suddenly powered down in the middle of the night Wednesday, but not before they were filled with fresh tanks of gas, according to Edwards, who believes the quick stoppage was fueled by a Tuesday visit by The Post.
Residents were initially warned April 3 that the noise and smoke would last up to six weeks as 95 Wall Street worked to turn their power back on. Inexplicably, the Sunbelt power suppliers weren’t stationed outside the 23-story luxury rental building they benefited, but in front of their next-door neighbors at 101.
UDR Inc, a publicly traded real estate investment trust that invests in apartments worth over a $1 billion, runs 95 Wall Street. Representatives did not respond to requests for comment.
The two buildings are the only residential buildings on the block, with construction for an additional building being built across the street — raising questions among 101 residents as to why they were saddled with the unbearable noise and pollution that has even driven its local pigeon population to new homes.
Plus, 101 residents are worried the gas-filled generators could pose a safety issue. A Sunbelt employee babysits the tanks around the clock, but did nothing Tuesday when a group of derelicts used the generators as skateboarding ramps.
Neighbors have lodged dozens of 311 complaints in the last three weeks, nearly all of which were closed because the Environmental Protection (DEP) “didn’t observe a violation of the NYC Air or Noise Code at the time of inspection and couldn’t issue a summons.”
Frustrated by the lack of action, Edwards purchased her own sound level meter — which registered an ear-splitting 94 decibels inside her apartment around 2 p.m. on Tuesday.
For comparison, that noise level is just 6 decibels short of a moving train, according to the City Noise Code.
City garbage trucks are prohibited from surpassing 80 decibels from at least 35 feet away.
A spokesperson for the DEP told The Post that neither an exceedance of the noise code or black smoke was observed during their visits — and that inspectors registered a total reading of 77 decibels, with an ambient, or background, noise level of 74 decibels. The difference would have had to have been 10 decibels to warrant a violation.
“There was a fire at this location that caused a power outage, which is why generators are currently being used. Con Ed has informed the DEP that power is expected to be restored by tomorrow. DEP inspectors will return to the site tomorrow to conduct additional noise readings,” the spokesperson said.
The noise is constant, according to Edwards, and is supplemented by honking every night at 11 p.m. when a massive gasoline truck shimmies down the narrow street to refill the generator tanks.
Edwards’ two daughters, whose beds are up against the affected wall, have been sleeping on an air mattress in the dining room, which is as far away in the family’s apartment as they can get from the noise.
“They’re not able to sleep. It’s obviously a constricting amount of space to be comfortable. I’m accommodating the city, it’s unacceptable,” said Edwards.
The family’s next door neighbor is “in pieces” and has taken to wearing headphones to bed every night — but is especially concerned with the facade of his unit that has been turned black by the plumes of smoke.
Another resident escaped to Florida earlier this month after giving up hope that their complaints would get any results.
Even with the generators finally being powered down on Wednesday, 101 residents remain suspicious they will be switched back on soon — they were left on the street and received a gas fill-up before they were turned off.
Scott Berger, who rents his unit out to a tenant, suspects the generators were put out in front of his building because the residents, who own their units, would have to sue to get the issue resolved — a suggestion a state official made to residents upon hearing that Big Apple agencies did nothing.
Residents of 95 Wall Street could withhold rent in retaliation for the noise, posing a more immediate financial concern, Berger pointed out.
“There’s noise that happens when you live in the city. This is almost incomprehensible. It’s inexcusable,” Berger said.
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