Burrito baron Steve Ells, Chipotle’s founder and ex-CEO, has secretly snapped up a $29.5 million West Village townhouse.
But the superrich spread won’t even be his primary residence — he’s just using it as a crash pad until his nearby mega-mansion is ready, sources told Gimme Shelter exclusively.
“This is just his temporary house. It’s crazy,” said a source with knowledge of the deal. “On this level, there is so much money, it’s like play money for these people.”
The new townhouse digs are located at 27 E. 11th St. — just down the street from the two buildings that Ells bought for nearly $32.5 million in 2014 and 2015 and that he has been combining ever since as part of an epic construction project.
But recent torrential rains revealed construction flaws that may add years to the project, as “all of the bricks have to be redone,” a source said. Ells declined comment.
“Rich people problems,” quipped one real estate insider. “It’s a bummer, since he just sold his penthouse thinking he’d be moving in soon,” the source added.
That penthouse at 40 Fifth Ave. was sold last June to one of the world’s top chefs, Daniel Humm, who bought it for $14.5 million, as Gimme reported exclusively.
Sources tell Gimme that Ells bought this latest townhouse in under a week and that it was just one of multiple bids.
“It wasn’t the highest offer, but it was the quickest and cleanest,” a source said. “It was so fast. They were like, ‘Let’s do this.’ ”
The historic townhouse was also the childhood home of Janet Travell, who was the first female White House physician under Pres. John F. Kennedy, according to the listing.