Photo by Stacie Joy
With another heatwave expected over the next few days, the city is ramping up the beat-the-heat messaging.
Find a list of resources here.
Tuesday, July 14, 2026
The Aurea: Affordable housing planned for NYPD lot on 5th Street
Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
City officials yesterday announced that the 9th Precinct's parking lot on Fifth Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue will be developed into a mixed-use building with approximately 131 affordable apartments, a senior center, community space and replacement parking for the NYPD.
The project, called The Aurea, will be developed by Spatial Equity, Housing Works, the Cooper Square Committee and This Land is Ours Community Land Trust.
Speakers yesterday included (from left) Steve Herrick, executive director, Cooper Square Committee; Dina Levy, HPD commissioner; Leila Bozorg, deputy mayor for housing and planning; Brian Kavanaugh, state senator; and Brad Hoylman-Sigal, Manhattan borough president.
According to the city, all 131 apartments will be income-restricted, with 30% reserved for formerly homeless New Yorkers. Housing Works will provide on-site supportive services for residents.
Officials told us afterward that the final height of The Aurea has not yet been determined and will depend, in part, on a future rezoning of the site. If approved, construction is expected to take about two years.
Here's a look at the renderings...
The proposal stems from a city request for proposals that followed the SoHo/NoHo Neighborhood Plan process and community outreach, including public workshops and multilingual engagement.
The Aurea is the first city-owned development site designated under the Mamdani administration. City Hall said it reflects a broader push to build affordable housing on public land and expand the role of community land trusts in future projects.
The parking lot across the street from the 9th Precinct station house has long been identified as a potential site for affordable housing. In recent years, neighborhood organizations, including the Cooper Square Committee and This Land is Ours Community Land Trust, have advocated for the redevelopment of publicly owned property into permanently affordable housing.
While the city said the project will include 25 replacement parking spaces for the NYPD, a police source told EVG that the Precinct is losing more than half of its existing parking capacity.
The source said the redevelopment will also eliminate storage space used for vouchered vehicles, confiscated e-bikes and other large seized items, much of which will now have to be kept on the street.
Previously on EV Grieve:
'Irregular,' filmed at Sophie's, to make its world premiere next month
Directed and co-written by Sophie's bartender (and photographer and filmmaker) Kyle de Vre, the 80-minute film unfolds through a series of barroom vignettes set over random Tuesdays, populated by quirky regulars, curious newcomers and the occasional unexplained smell.
As we noted in our January Q&A with de Vre, who also plays The Bartender, "Irregular" is more than a neighborhood movie — it's a love letter to both Sophie's and the East Village. The camera lingers on the decades-old bar and its history, including artwork by longtime regulars, the late Eddie Boros and Markand Thakar, among others.
The screening begins at 6 p.m. Find the details at this link. The Chain Theatre is at 312 W. 36th S., between Eighth and Ninth Streets.
You can revisit our January conversation with de Vre here.
Previously on EV Grieve:
The future condoplex peeks above the plywood on 9th Street and 4th Avenue
Photos by Steven
The incoming condoplex is beginning to emerge above the plywood on the NE corner of Ninth Street and Fourth Avenue.
As we first reported, a 10-story residential building with 15 units is in the works for 57 Fourth Ave., aka 101 E. Ninth St.
According to Crain's, Ilyas Abayev, founder of the real-estate firm Moonshot Development, is behind the new project. BKSK Architects LLP, whose local credits include The Jefferson on 13th Street between Second and Third Avenues, is listed as the architect of record.
The plywood rendering lists a fall 2027 completion date.
The single-level Chris French Cleaners closed its doors for good here last September after 65 years in business.
Monday, July 13, 2026
On tonight's CB3-SLA docket: Applicants for 13 E. 1st St., 41 St. Mark's Place, and more!
41 St. Mark's Place
The July meeting of Community Board 3's SLA committee tonight includes applicants for a Southeast Asian restaurant and cocktail bar from the team behind Fish Cheeks, a new restaurant from the chef-owner of Michelin-starred Chez Ma Tante, and a paint-and-sip tie-dye studio on Avenue A.
New Liquor License Applications
• Chacha's Bar LLC, 13 E 1st St (op) (restaurant)
A new Southeast Asian restaurant and cocktail bar is in the works for 13 E. First St., between Second Avenue and the Bowery.
According to an application on this month's CB3/SLA docket, Chacha's Bar LLC is seeking a liquor license for the address, which was most recently home to Baar Baar.
The principals are Jenn Saesue and Chat Suansilphong, who also operate Bangkok Supper Club in the West Village and Fish Cheeks on Bond Street.
The proposal calls for seating for 94 guests, plus two customer bars with a total of six seats. Hours would be noon to 2 a.m. daily, with a full kitchen serving food throughout operating hours.
Baar Baar, an Indian gastropub, closed last fall after an eight-year run.
• Anderson (Happy Lyre LLC), 41 St Marks Pl (op) (restaurant)
An establishment called Anderson Cafe & Restaurant is seeking a liquor license for 41 St. Mark's Place, between First Avenue and Second Avenue.
According to CB3 documents, the proposed "Modern American" restaurant comes from Happy Lyre LLC, whose principals are listed as Aidan O’Neal (Le Crocodile and Chez Ma Tante), Jeffrey Robbins (Wei’s), and George Riddle (Chez Ma Tante and Leon’s).
The application calls for seating for 56 diners, plus six bar seats and outdoor seating.
Proposed hours are 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily, with outdoor seating ending at 10 p.m.
The Anderson has an Instagram account here. Find a sample menu on the CB3 questionnaire.
Marylou closed at No. 41 at the end of May following four years in service. Many folks will remember it as the longtime home of Cafe Orlin (RIP 2017).
Friends with Benefits is coming to the former Black Ant space at 60 Second Ave., between Third and Fourth Streets.
According to the pre-meeting documents (which include a sample menu), the proposed "New American" restaurant would be operated by Tres Tres Chic LLC, whose principals include Evan Hawkins (Romeo's on St. Mark's Place), Ben Yabrow (former headbartender at Double Chicken Please), and Randy Pechin (a partner at Romeo's and co-owner of several bars in Atlanta).
The questionnaire shows seating for 74 guests indoors, plus an eight-seat patio, with proposed daily hours of noon to 2 a.m.
Black Ant closed in June 2024 after nearly 10 years in business.
Items not heard at the Committee
• Sigiri NY LLC, 91 1st Ave (wb)
Sigiri, the awesome Sri Lankan restaurant, will soon be serving beer and wine from the upper level of 91 First Ave. between Fifth and Sixth Streets.
• Tipsy Tie Die (Rusty Retail LLC), 191 Ave A (wb) (recreation facility/exhibition hall)
A business called Tipsy Tie Dye is in the works for 191 Avenue A at 12th Street.
The concept is a "paint-and-sip" tie-dyed art studio and bar where customers can create tie-dyed apparel, with the option to have a beer or wine.
The proposal calls for seating for 46 people, one L-shaped bar, and hours from 2-10 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday, 2 p.m. to midnight on Friday, noon to midnight on Saturday, and noon to 10 p.m. on Sunday. The business would be closed on Monday and Tuesday.
Food offerings would include snacks, meat-and-cheese boards, hot pretzels and pizza bites.
The application lists Amanda Rust as the principal.
The space was most recently occupied by Stand-Up MRI, which needed to serve beer and wine.
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CB3's SLA meeting is tonight at 6:30. The Zoom link is here. This is a hybrid meeting, and limited public seating is available. The first 15 people who show up at the Community Board 3 Office, 59 E. Fourth St., between Second Avenue and the Bowery, will be accommodated.
ICYMI: Good news for Mee Noodle Shop
Photo Friday by Stacie Joy
A happy update from Friday in case you missed it: Mee Noodle Shop & Grill on First Avenue will remain open after the building's landlord agreed to lower the monthly rent.
Staff had previously said the longtime neighborhood favorite would close on July 15 because of rising costs and declining business.
Instead, they're continuing to serve lunch and dinner ... and remaining grateful to residents for their support.
Read the full story here.
And call and pick up your order: (212) 260-7838.
Sunday, July 12, 2026
At Saturday's punk show in Tompkins Square Park
Photos by Stacie Joy
We stopped by yesterday's punk show in Tompkins Square Park and caught a blistering set by NYC hardcore band Abism.
Did the crowd love them? You decide!
Week in Grieview
Never miss an EVG post with the weekly EVG newsletter. Free right here.
• Mee Noodle Shop will stay open after all (July 10)
• About TODAY's Show Brain show in Tompkins Square Park (July 11)
• At Jenkem Magazine's skate block party in Tompkins Square Park (July 12)
• Scenes from WitchsFest 2026 on Astor Place (July 11)
• East Village-based director brings July 9, 1776, to the big screen with the doc "By George" (July 6)
And EVG reader Francine Lange shared the photo of a "coned" lion in front of St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery on 10th Street and Second Avenue...
At Jenkem Magazine's skate block party in Tompkins Square Park
Photos by Stacie Joy
Skateboarding and culture magazine Jenkem took over the Tompkins Square Park multipurpose courts yesterday afternoon with a pop-up skate jam/block party featuring new obstacles, music and plenty of spectators.
The free event drew a steady crowd of skaters and onlookers ... some there to land tricks, others simply to hang out on a summer afternoon.
Here are a few scenes from the session...
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