Report: Judge clears way for men's intake shelter to open on 3rd Street

A State Supreme Court judge has cleared the way for the city to relocate its main intake shelter for homeless men to 8 E. Third St. near the Bowery, ending a legal challenge that had delayed the move for more than a month.

As reported by The New York Times, Justice Sabrina Kraus ruled yesterday that the city provided a rational basis for moving the intake operation from the deteriorating former Bellevue intake center on East 30th Street to the East Village facility to the Renewal on the Bowery facility. 

Neighbors who sued to block the move argued that converting the site into an intake center — where people typically stay only a few days — would have a different impact on the neighborhood than the substance-abuse shelter that has operated there for decades. They contended that the change should have triggered additional public review. 

In her ruling, Kraus acknowledged residents' concerns and frustration over not having an opportunity to weigh in on a decision that could affect the character of the block, but said the court could not substitute its judgment for that of the city.

Attorney Randy Mastro, who represents the residents challenging the move, told the Times that his clients are considering an appeal. 

The city announced plans in March to move the intake operation to 8 E. Third St. after determining that the longtime men's intake center near Bellevue was in poor condition and needed to close immediately.

Project Renewal was founded in 1967, and the organization has used the spaces at 8 E. Third St. and 333 Bowery for decades.

A visit to Singapore Social

Photos and interview by Stacie Joy

Singapore Social is still settling into its new home at 15 Avenue A between Houston and Second Street, but the restaurant has already found an audience. 

Since opening in late April in the former Foul Witch space, the restaurant has been drawing diners eager for dishes rooted in Singaporean, Malaysian and Indonesian cooking — cuisines that co-owner Suriane Sahari (below) believes remain underrepresented in New York.

We caught up with Sahari before her return to Singapore to talk about the early response, favorite dishes, expansion plans and why the East Village feels a little like home. 

You’ve only recently opened your doors. How has it been so far? 

The majority of the people who come in are Southeast Asian. We have mostly Southeast Asian guests, and it was quite a shocker for us because we just blasted on Instagram and a majority know us from Instagram/social media. They were so thankful that we're open here because here we find that the Singaporean, Indonesian, and Malaysian cuisines are underrated in New York. 

That's why we want to represent it properly, with its authenticity, while still taking a fun approach to the New York crowd. 

What do you think of the East Village? 

Oh, it's been amazing. It's so lively, and it never stops. New York kind of reminds me a bit of Singapore. The diversity and the people, all so nice, so assertive. We are truly blessed.

So far, what is the best-selling menu item? 

The best-selling item has been our satay, the chicken satay. And our chicken rice — the roasted chicken rice and the nasi lemak ayam berempah (coconut rice with chicken, fried egg, peanuts and anchovies).

Actually, all of our dishes are equally selling! It's been all good, nothing down, nothing that's not selling. We are so proud, and it keeps us very busy because every one of our items is labor-intensive. It’s all housemade. So that's why it's a good challenge for us, labor-wise, because we need to have a lot of people.

And then bringing in the recipes, which are new to New Yorkers, is another good challenge, and we get to expand our food to all New Yorkers. 

Do you see yourselves expanding? 

In New York, definitely. Maybe we're looking for more of the Upper East Side, if it's possible. But we still want to get the momentum going first. Then maybe we think of expanding. We don't want to be overachieving something. 

New York is a great place. This is a great location. It's the people who play a lot of the part here, and we have people from Brooklyn and even New Jersey. Most of the Southeast Asians are there, and then they travel all the way here to eat. And then we are like, oh my God, you shouldn't. But thank you for coming all the way here. 

And getting the liquor license was very complicated. For me, as a first-timer here, there's a lot to do: paste this and that in the restaurant, and then they have to take pictures. There are many procedures here. It's different from Singapore, actually. 

Really? How so? 

Yeah, in Singapore, it's just quite straightforward. It's just everything in one. But here, you have to print certain things, then paste them on the wall, and you need a legal license and all.

So, it's different...it's definitely more complex, more steps as compared to Singapore.

If you were to eat a meal here, what would you pick? 

Oh, me personally? My favorite is the nasi lemak ayam berempah. It is so well seasoned, and it's just… whoa! And it's the whole day you can last on it. You don't have to eat anything else. 

Also, our coffee and tea are imported; sourcing was difficult because they were hard to find in New York. So, it’s a similar taste but different brands.

And we hope to expand the menu soon to add more noodle dishes, and maybe a famous Singaporean dish called carrot cake, made of radishes and rice flour. It has no carrots! 

Here's a look around the space...

Hours: 5-10 p.m. Monday through Friday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. 

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Sahari and her partner, chef (and other co-owner/co-founder) Jonathan Lim, has already returned to Singapore. They are both senior managers for Roberta's in Singapore. 

Roberta's co-founders, Brandon Hoy and chef Carlo Mirarchi, opened Foul Witch here in January 2023.

Signage alert: Keroneko on 10th Street

Been meaning to note this signage — Keroneko at 218 E. 10th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue. (Thanks to EVG reader Brian Carroll for the pic.) 

The chef here, Josh Reisner, is in his early 20s and has already worked in kitchens ranging from Noreetuh to Momofuku Kāwi. At age 10, he was a finalist on "MasterChef Junior." 

The menu features ramen and classic Japanese dishes "inspired by his extensive training in Japanese kitchens, his Singaporean heritage, and a love of Western European cuisines, per What Now NY. Menu here. 

Keroneko is expected to open this summer. 

The 10th Street space previously housed Rai Rai Ken.

Wednesday's parting shot

Nicholas Figueroa would have been 35 today. 

His family placed the flowers and birthday decorations here at the memorial plaque outside 45 E. Seventh St.

Figueroa and Moises Locón died on March 26, 2015, during the gas explosion that also injured two dozen people, and leveled three buildings (119, 121 and 123 Second Ave.). 

Figueroa, who had recently graduated from SUNY Buffalo State, was at Sushi Park, 121 Second Ave. between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place, and the site of the fatal blast, dining with a co-worker. Locón, 27, worked at Sushi Park.

Knicks fever in the East Village: A photo essay

The Knicks' first trip to the NBA Finals since 1999 has sparked a level of basketball enthusiasm around the city not seen in decades.

During the first three games of the series against the San Antonio Spurs, EVG's Stacie Joy captured scenes from around the East Village as fans embraced the moment... here's a look from this past week ahead of tonight's game four...

Rabbit Books and Bar owners share an update ahead of a mid-July opening on Avenue A

Photos and interview by Stacie Joy 

Signage arrived Monday for Rabbit Books and Bar, the incoming business at 170 Avenue A on the corner of 11th Street. (We first reported on this here.) 

Yesterday, owners Marianna Vaidman Stone and her daughter, Emily Samara Stone, discussed the community's response to the project, addressed questions about the bookstore-bar-cafe concept, and said they remain on track for a mid-July opening.

What has the response been like in the community and from the neighborhood? 

Marianna Vaidman Stone: It’s been so delightful! It really has been so delightful. We feel welcomed to the neighborhood. When we were out there [on Monday] putting up the posters, so many people stopped to say hello, to say how excited they were to meet us. And some of them had already been aware of us from social media. 

It's been really nice, a wonderful welcome, and we're excited about the welcome we've gotten. 

Emily Samara Stone: People are excited about the concept itself. We got quite a few "we're so happy that it's a family business that's coming in here," like a mom-and-pop or mom and daughter. [laughs] People have been super welcoming. 

Has anyone reached out from Barnes & Noble [opening across Avenue A in November]?

Emily: No. 

Do you think they might? 

Marianna: No. I don't expect them to. 

Emily: They're pretty big. 

Marianna: Right. I don't know if we're on their radar, but even if we were, I imagine their view would be, ‘we're doing our thing.’ And our view is we're doing our thing, and we're going to continue to do our thing. Presumably, they're going to continue to do their thing. 

Emily: Hopefully, there'll be more reaching out when they're closer to opening. 

Marianna: Yeah, they're still a ways away from even their anticipated opening date. 

What would you say to the people who are concerned, is this a bar or is it a bookstore? 

Marianna: We would say that this concept, at its heart, is a bookstore. We have always conceived of the food and drink as a way to help people have the book experience. 

I know that this neighborhood has faced, in the past, places that claim to be one thing and then turn louder and more boisterous. My childhood dream was a bookstore. I'm pretty quiet…we're both quiet. I have always looked for a place where I can talk to my friends, and I want that to be this place. 

I'm not in it to maximize the return on the people walking by this corner. I'm really in it to make a community space, a lovely space for conversation. And to some extent, other people have no reason to trust me, per se; they don't know me yet. But I think once they get to know us, they'll hopefully come around and see that we are good-faith operators and are presenting a good-faith picture of our plans that we're committed to. 

Emily: I also, in that vein, want to be clear that it is really both a bookstore and a bar. And we hear concerns about the density of nightlife in this area. But the answer to that isn't "Footloose." 

One of our answers to that is a slightly quieter alternative where you can hear your friends, talk about books, and have a glass of wine. We're not pretending that that's not true.

How are things with the targeted opening date? 

Marianna: We're still aiming for mid-July, and so far, we're sticking to it!

Work starts on new 10th Street pedestrian bridge to East River Park

The latest Weekly Construction Bulletin for the East River Park reconstruction project includes an update on work tied to the new 10th Street pedestrian bridge. 

Beginning this week, crews are mobilizing equipment east of Avenue D on 10th Street in preparation for pile installation for the new bridge, which will provide a fully accessible connection into East River Park.

According to project officials, pile installation is expected to be a noisy and disruptive operation and is scheduled to continue for approximately three months. The work will require parking restrictions and road closures, including access to the FDR Drive Service Road from 10th Street during work hours (7 a.m. to 4 p.m.). 

Noise, vibration and air-quality monitors are in place, according to the bulletin.

Access to the 10th Street pedestrian bridge closed in May 2025. Later, workers demolished the bridge overnight last July. 

The replacement structure is one of several new elevated access points being built to connect the neighborhood to the rebuilt East River Park. 

The "phased work operations" in East River Park started in November 2021 as part of a billion-plus-dollar project to elevate large sections of the park by 8 to 10 feet above sea level, aiming to protect the neighborhood from future storm surges. 

The southern half of East River Park, past Houston Street, is now open again. 

The timeline for completing this northern section of East River Park was pushed back by a year to the end of 2027, as we first reported here.

Former Karma gallery for lease on 2nd Street — for use as a gallery

Photo by Stacie Joy 

The listing has arrived for 188 E. Second St., the one-story building between Avenue A and Avenue B. 

We expected the property to be marketed as a development site for the always-popular condoplex.

However, the Redwood Property group is pitching it as a top-flight gallery space. Listing here. The Karma gallery closed here this spring after nearly 10 years in the space. (Karma debuted their flagship New York location in the 10,000-square-foot ground floor of the old Otis Elevator Company Building on West 26th Street last summer.) 

Before Karma, the space was a beverage distributor.

Tuesday's parting shot

Here's a look at the entrance to the Dry Dock Pool today on 10th Street near Avenue D. 

The city's outdoor pool season officially begins on Saturday, June 27, when the Dry Dock Pool and others open daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Labor Day (with a cleaning break from 3-4 p.m.). 

Given the forecast calling for temperatures in the 90s over the next few days, some residents might wish the opening day were arriving much sooner...

Village View board exploring development options for one of its parking lots

Photos by Stacie Joy 

The board at Village View, the 1,236-unit Mitchell-Lama cooperative that opened in 1964 between First Avenue and Avenue A, has taken another step toward exploring the future of Parking Lot 7. 

According to minutes from the co-op's January board meeting, directors voted to hire Alan Cohen of ABS Partners under a six-month exclusive contract to market Parking Lot 7 — located on Second Street between Avenue A and First Avenue — to prospective residential developers.

The board had previously met with representatives from the law firm Sheppard Mullin, former City Council member Domenic Recchia, and Cohen to discuss potential economic opportunities associated with the site. 

While no formal redevelopment proposal has been made public, the board's decision to retain a broker has prompted questions among some shareholders about what, exactly, could be built there and how any future project might affect the co-op and the surrounding neighborhood. 

The possibility of redevelopment has raised concerns among some shareholders, who say they want more transparency about the process and assurances that affordable housing will be considered if the site ultimately moves forward with development. 

Since January, several residents have contacted EVG, saying the concerns extend beyond parking.

"Village View has been a steadfast example of mixed-use affordable housing that works and is financially stable — a godsend for many families," one resident said. "We want transparency and to know that affordable housing is being considered in this project." 

A resident-run website, VillageViewCommunity.com, has been documenting concerns surrounding the proposal. In recent posts, contributors questioned the board's handling of the process. They cited statements made during an April 28 meeting, including discussion of more than $300,000 in spending on legal, lobbying and development-related work before many shareholders were aware of the initiative. 

The site has also raised concerns about whether shareholders will have an opportunity to vote on any future transaction involving the property.

These are the free movies screening in Tompkins Square Park this summer

ICYMI... The Lower East Side Film Festival is bringing its free summer screening series back to Tompkins Square Park this summer. 

Here's what is on the docket: 

• July 22 — "Little Miss Sunshine" 

• Aug. 5 — "Super Troopers" 

• Aug. 19 — "Beasts of the Southern Wild" 

Each screening, beginning around 8:30 p.m., takes place in the center of the park, where the bands usually perform on weekends. 

The series is in partnership with presenting sponsor Searchlight Pictures and local City Councilmember Harvey Epstein ... with community support from East Village Community Coalition, Good Old Lower East Side (GOLES), and Loisaida Inc. Center.