During a meeting with the Stuyvesant Town-Peter Cooper Village Tenants Association last Thursday evening, representatives of the soon-to-be owner Blackstone said that they are committed to keeping a grocery store on East 14th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue, DNAinfo reports.
As previously noted, owners of the Associated here would like to have their supermarket's lease renewed so that they can revamp their space. However, the current Stuy Town management has refused to commit to a renewal and then tried to buy out the lease. (Find more background at the Town & Village blog, who was the first to report on this.)
At Thursday night's meeting, a Blackstone rep told residents that they "are absolutely committed to keeping a supermarket in that space with a similar price point to the Associated."
As DNAInfo points out: "There is no guarantee, however, that the space will stay in the hands of the Associated, which has two more years on the lease."
City Councilmember Daniel Garodnick's office also shared the news about a grocery store remaining at this location.
As one resident told us: "The community wants Associated, not just a different grocery store … and are we really supposed to trust the word of an NYC landlord?"
Meanwhile, there's a petition drive underway to keep the Associated in the space. You can access the petition here.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: Associated owners not having any luck shopping for a lease renewal on East 14th Street (34 comments)
Petition drive underway to help save the Stuy Town Associated on East 14th Street
31 comments:
In NYC, residential tenants have rights and protection when their leases expire, but for small business owners there are no rights to renewal for commercial leases. For every business owner, their future and the future of their employees is solely in the hands of the landlord.
With long established small businesses being forced to close in record numbers due to exorbitant rent increases or landlords refusing to negotiate with them, a majority of progressive council members sponsored a law, The Small Business Jobs Survival Act (SBJSA), which gives rights to negotiate fair business leases and survive. Every Manhattan Council Member, except one, is a strong sponsor of the SBJSA and committed to stopping the closing of small businesses. The Manhattan Council Member who refuses to support any legislation to give small business owners rights is The Associated’s CM, Dan Garodnick.
While CM Garodnick claims he is concerned about The Associated closing, the only action he has taken is to deal with the landlord who “promised” him, that in the future another supermarket will be at this location.
This is not what the public wants, empty pledges from landlords. Instead of investing energy in making deals and promises with landlords, CM Garodnick could easily join his colleagues, the Manhattan delegation, by adding his name to the Small Business Jobs Survival Act, which would literally save The Associated, and all local Mom & Pops. Please contact CM Garodnick and demand he sponsor the SBJSA, and demand he ask Speaker Mark-Viverito to hold a Public Hearing and vote on this vital bill (something that has been denied for 30 years). The very few remaining small business owners in CM Garodnick’s district who are struggling to survive and are at the mercy of greedy landlords, deserve and are entitled to a full vote by the City Council.
EMAIL: dgarodnick@council.nyc.gov CALL: (212) 818-0580
I'm HappyIt will stay as a supermarket it's very convenient for me. But hoping Associated is replaced by better supermarket.
The landlord could make a deal with another developer to demolish the currently Associated store, build a tower and put "another supermarket in that space". Of course the developer would "promise" this however it would not be in the terms of the sale or legally binding in any way. There is just too much money being made in developing (destroying) the East Village, Bowery and Lower East Side for anyone to follow the law or decent human consideration. It won't last forever as all bubble do eventually bust but what will we be left with when it does?
KT:
Residential lease protections only happen for apartments that are under the state's regulation programs. Many apartments (including condos that are put up for rent after the owner couldn't be bothered to live in them) have absolutely no protections whatsoever, and your neighbors are paying "market rate" with nothing to shield them from abusive rent hikes or yearly lease expirations. (At least commercial leases have a standard term of 10 years!)
A lot of people live in this area under constant threat of being uprooted. I think a lot of the people in stabilized housing - which is now very hard to find - take that for granted & do little work to see that a new generation of residents can take root here. Mostly there is complaining that the people moving in are too different & not welcome. (This focuses on just the rowdiest college students and hipster yuppies; it's ridiculous to claim that these groups are anything but a small subset of the 18-49 demographic)
Once again StuyTown just gets empty promises. If they bring in a new supermarket there will be nowhere for people who need a supermarket close to home to shop for many months while the existing tenant leaves and the new one renovates. The elderly will have to cross First Avenue, which is more dangerous, or go to Gracefully or Artie's which have limited selection and more expensive. It's not about getting a "nicer" grocery store, you can go to any of the "nicer" ones that are already in the neighborhood, it's about maintaining a vital service for the people the new owners supposedly are about.
@KT No big surprise there
"In January, about a week after City Councilman Daniel Garodnick lost the race for council speaker, he was the belle of the real-estate industry's annual ball. Mr. Garodnick sat on the stage with other dignitaries at the New York Hilton, two seats down from Alicia Glen, a powerful deputy mayor who oversees housing and economic development. No one at the Real Estate Board of New York's banquet attracted a bigger cluster of executives and lobbyists waiting for a word than the 42-year old councilman for Manhattan's East Side"
"The city's real-estate world continues to open its wallet to Mr. Garodnick. In the most recent election cycle, he received more than $200,000 of contributions from the industry, out of about $1 million, according to a Wall Street Journal calculation."
http://online.wsj.com/articles/new-york-city-councilman-daniel-garodnick-faces-tough-tests-in-real-estate-battles-1410569682
@Brian Van (At least commercial leases have a standard term of 10 years!) That is untrue, and the root of the problem. We are seeing leases get shorter and shorter (1 year, 2 year) and actually in many cases Mom & Pops (especially bodegas) are forced onto month to month lease terms so the landlord is in a better position to speculate on his property. We have recently seen blocks of Mom & Pops wiped out after being unfairly kept on a month to month lease (Washington Heights, Parkchester in the Bronx)
Okay, let's all trust this multibillion dollar hedge fund group and its "pledge". Okay. Sure. It's all numbers and bottom line to these scumbags. This "pledge" is intended to shut people up, nothing more. Blackstone group don't know here, they don't reside here; they own the deed and they answer to nobody. Get real people.
8:32am: The devil you know...
If anyone is going to have any sway here, it is the tenants of Stuy Town. They need to organize and put pressure on the new owners. I don't know how much influence even they will have though because there aren't rent protections for business and the new owner can do whatever they want when it comes to renting that space. This is depressing.
A grocery store that serves elderly people and the little bit of the working class and middle class left in the neighborhood is not going to survive. We're on the way out. The developers want to cater to the new, young residents who have money, and, yeah, they might bring another grocery store to this space, but it's going to be something that caters to the new residents.
I am hoping that Murray Hill south will get rid of this dirty food store! I for one am looking forward to a new mega froyo Nail/tanning salon!
From the petition comment section, a good summary:
"With so much instability in our community, it's essential to maintain smaller, locally owned businesses that actually serve the community. Associated is a business so they're not giving it away, that said, they always go the extra mile for their customers (new & old). They are affordable (their sales are excellent), they will place special orders, they'll shop for the infirmed, they actually get to know their community and give back in so many ways, Please, help keep a small business in business. With so many faceless, soulless, national chains swallowing up what's left of New York flavor, a scrappy, engaged contender is a blessing and (sadly) a rarity. If I wanted to live in the suburbs, I would've moved. I don't. Associated represents what little, that used to be precious (locally owned small businesses that serve the middle class), is left. We need even more businesses like them to remain stable. My fingers are crossed that you'll find a way to work with them. WE really need them."
BTW, anyone here ever go to the Morton Williams on 23rd close to Second Ave? Around 30% higher than Associated.
Beer store!
Duane Reade, Walgreens, and CVS are THE grocery stores for the newbies and college students.
Better yet, Chop't!
I hope they replace it with a supermarket with a better customer oriented crew, Associated cashiers always arguing and talking as if the customer is only a cash-cow, complete disregard and disrespect. No tears for you Associated and sayonara.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: Associated is NOT a small business.
Won't miss you, Associated. Bring in another Trader Joe's! Or an Aldi!
What's wrong Ali Babba? Didn't she take you up on your offer for a date? Get real. Cashiers have to speak with each other to get the job done. They share a card to create voids when the computer fudges the price (as it often does). Were you born yesterday? Oh right, go back to CVS to buy your groceries and STFU.
Associated cashiers are the sweetest around.
The new East Villagers don't care about Associated, or bodegas, because it represents inner-city urban life and thus beneath them. What they really want in this space would be a Citarella or a Balducci's, anything that would make them feel special and exclusive, much like their precious bike lanes, CitiBikes, UBER,... anything to soothe their infantile needs, complement that $10 juice, $20 wine/cocktail, $15 beer, the luxury condo complexes they live in. The very least they'd want there is a Wegman's, to make them feel like they never left their safe and comfy existence back in __________.
Isn't this rant a bit tired at this point?
Like really, Citibike is some sort of exclusive perk for the rich?
Hey Nic, I know you're fit and all but what about edumacating yourself., eh?
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2013/11/citi-bike-expanding-to-more-rich-neighborhoods.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/local/wp/2015/11/12/why-are-bike-lanes-such-heated-symbols-of-gentrification/?postshare=8111447559373711&tid=ss_tw-bottom
Isn't the denial of Citibikes aimed for the wealthy and tourists getting tired?
Anyhoo, enjoy the another exclusive grocery or more like foodiery, replacing Associated.
Delusions of exclusivity.
No grocery store is close to perfect and I am willing to overlook some shoddiness, but the poor produce at Associated is a deal breaker. A grocery store that doesn't give a shit about produce? What is that??? I guess it's a good place to get Entemann's and junk.
REAL NYers shop GREENMARKETS for their produce, 10:21. Locavore, seasonal, environmentalism, maybe you've heard of those hard-won ideas? Associated is good for all around shopping, SALES of everyday items, such as canned staples, frozen veggies, paper and cleaning products, you know, the regular stuff that normal people need everyday. And yes, junk food items such as packaged snack foods. DON'T TRY TO EQUATE THE ASSOCIATED WITH ONLY JUNK FOOD BECAUSE YOU SUFFER FROM NARROW MINDEDNESS! SO SICK OF ALL OF YOU DUMPING ON A PERFECTLY DECENT BUSINESS.
Ok yes, I am probably not giving the Associated a fair shake. I'm sure there's more to it than junk food and substandard produce. Fortunately my opinion of the store amounts to nothing. Maybe I'll go sign the petition out of goodwill towards my Styetown neighbors. I will say that this store is lucky to have such devoted customers. I have my own favorite grocery stores but I doubt I would ever passionately defend them against blame or criticism.
Bring in a Key Foods!
I'm still marveling at this notion.
Actually I can't afford a car and parking like my neighbors in public housing. All I can afford is Citibike.
The Asociated and its professional staff of union employees has served this neighborhood very well. Most residents could not afford one of the high end grocery stores Blackstone would like to replace the Associated with. This neighborhood has been assaulted on all sides by "development" that has caused us to lose the stores and shops that made it a livable neighborhood: lose a hardware store, get a another restaurant. Lose a print shop, get another expensive cafe. Lose a fabric shop get another noisy bar. Lose a Post Office or church or school, get another luxury apartment building or NYU dorm. NYC government and agencies are NOT serving the needs of East Village residents--only the bottom line of real estate "developers." 35 year EV resident.
M2M!
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