Development Watch: 541 Washington Avenue—Rats!

A reader who lives next to the construction site at 541 Washington Avenue—the future home of an 8-story, 66-unit condo—writes in to tell us that work on the project is progressing at a steady, albeit unspeedy, pace. In fact, neighbors aren’t so much bothered by the construction work as by an inanimate rodent invasion:

The only new thing to report is that the giant inflatable rat that appears at non-union construction sites around the city has taken up daily residence here as of 6/4. The "rat keepers" tend to make quite a racket in the morning and are not getting much support from the community because of it. The police were out there this morning - apparently one of the keepers got into a bit of a fight with someone who doesn't like rodents!

Turns out that as of this morning, the rat had gone on sabbatical as some attempts were being made at behind-the-scene negotiations between the developer and union organizers. According to a union rep stationed on a stoop across from the site, though, we most likely have not seen the last of the rat.
Development Watch: 541 Washington From Above [Brownstoner] GMAP
541 Washington Ave: Stalled, Sold or Both? [Brownstoner] P*Shark
Washington Avenue: This Could Be Huge [Brownstoner] DOB