Endangered Orchids Stymie Developer

We've been itching for a good tenant/developer fight and today's City Section delivers enter: Scarano v. The Orchid Man!

The story is simple. Steve Ludlow loves orchids and lives with a large number of them in a very large loft in Dumbo. The building they live in has recently been bought and the new owners want to put in 60 condos and a new tower. Naturally they also want Ludlow out.

But the Orchid Man is taking legal action arguing that moving some of his flowers, which are endangered species, without a proper place to move them to would be criminal. The architect for the project, a man who just seems to keep on giving, Robert Scarano told the times it "it seems like a great way to stall a project, doesn't it?"

It sure sounds like a great way to stall one to us, and considering Ludlow's 9/11 photography helped the Times win a Pulitzer we suspect it's going to be pretty effective, at least until the new owners pay up. Cheers to you Orchid Man!

Detail from alien orchids by PlasmoNYC via Contribute.