M&G Foodstuff arrives on Avenue B

We've (OK, Salim and I anyway) have been watching the retail space at 26 Avenue B between Second Street and Third Street ... there's now signage for M&G Foodstuff ...



M&G is a catering and events company (you can read about them here). There aren't any plans for a retail component here at the moment.

This storefront is on the ground floor of the new(ish) condoplex called Poppy Lofts.

Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] 6-story apartment building ready to rise from the former Croxley Ales beer garden

[Updated] Report: 28 Avenue B has been evacuated

Full-stop work order served at construction site adjacent to evacuated Avenue B building

Resident wants stuff back that workers took from not abandoned apartment

Is 26 Avenue B ready for its new building now?

Avenue B condos near former heroin hot spot named Poppy Lofts

2 units hit the market at Poppy Lofts on Avenue B

Back in September, we noted that the new condos at 26 Avenue B near Second Street were going by the Poppy Lofts, a name that likely has nothing to do with the area's former reputation as a heroin hotspot.

In any event, there are now two units available via Ryan Serhant's crew at NestSeekers International.

Here's more about the development in general:

Positioned at the convergence of the East Village and the Lower East Side, Poppy Lofts is an exciting new development that possesses 5 incredible floor-through units with stylish interiors and private outdoor space. The building features a Glen-Gery dark gray brick façade adorned year-round with outdoor planters that contain seasonal flowers and manicured greenery. Amenities include a virtual doorman system, deeded storage units, bike racks, and a private keyed elevator.

Crafted to fit the needs of a modern lifestyle, each apartment boasts an open layout and a wealth of thoughtful finishes. Residence features include double-pane energy windows, coffered ceilings, radiant heated floors in all bathrooms, in-unit Bosch washer/dryers, LED lighting, hardwood floors, and sleek kitchens with solid quartz waterfall countertops and stainless steel appliances.

As for the units, the three-bedroom penthouse (1,309 square feet) is asking $2.215 million... while a two-bedroom residence (943 square feet) is fetching $1.95 million.

The two-level penthouse includes four outdoor spaces. Here's the description of that unit via Streeteasy, where you can also find a bunch of photos of the place:

The first level of the home is conveniently partitioned into a living area and a sleeping area. The living area contains an open-concept living room, dining room, and kitchen as well as a powder room and a slender balcony adorned with French doors. The kitchen is equipped with solid quartz countertops, cabinets from German Kitchen, and a suite of luxurious appliances that include a Bosch electric cooktop and wall oven, a Blomberg stainless steel refrigerator, and a Sharp microwave. Both of the homes spacious bedrooms lie opposite the living area.



The second bedroom has its own closet space and a west-facing window while the master bedroom contains a pair of closets, a pristine ensuite bathroom, and a roomy balcony. On the second level resides a sizable office/den/library that has eastern and western exposure and comes with an attached full bathroom. The room is flanked on either side by a pair of large terraces that work as spaces for entertaining guests or as secluded oases of privacy.

In the 1980s, the nearby corner of Second Street and Avenue B was a notorious heroin cop spot. As Andrew Roth pointed out in "Infamous Manhattan," the intersection of East Second Street and Avenue B "probably saw more heroin retailing than any other spot on Earth."

There's an open house here Sunday afternoon from 2:30-4 near a notorious brunch cop spot.

Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] 6-story apartment building ready to rise from the former Croxley Ales beer garden

[Updated] Report: 28 Avenue B has been evacuated

Full-stop work order served at construction site adjacent to evacuated Avenue B building

Resident wants stuff back that workers took from not abandoned apartment

Is 26 Avenue B ready for its new building now?

Avenue B condos near former heroin hot spot named Poppy Lofts

Avenue B condos near former heroin hot spot named Poppy Lofts

The new condos at 26 Avenue B near Second Street now have a name and marketing team... Ryan Serhant's crew at NestSeekers International is behind this development called the Poppy Lofts...



Poppy Lofts is a rather generic name, though it does distinguish itself by not having a popstar moniker like newish nearby developments The Adele and The Robyn.

The Poppy Lofts website doesn't have any info yet about its origins. Maybe the name isn't actually a selection from a Random Name Generator. Perhaps the Serhant team is paying tribute to the East Village of the 1980s when the corner of Second Street and Avenue B was a notorious heroin cop spot. (Heroin is made from the resin of poppy plants, awkwardly noting.)

As Andrew Roth pointed out in "Infamous Manhattan," the intersection of East Second Street and Avenue B "probably saw more heroin retailing than any other spot on Earth."

Until the launch of Operation Pressure Point in 1984. Now the block between Second and Third is a notorious brunch hot spot.

In any event, no word just yet on the pricing for the two-bedroom lofts. You can register online here for info.

Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] 6-story apartment building ready to rise from the former Croxley Ales beer garden

[Updated] Report: 28 Avenue B has been evacuated

Full-stop work order served at construction site adjacent to evacuated Avenue B building

Resident wants stuff back that workers took from not abandoned apartment

Is 26 Avenue B ready for its new building now?

FULL full reveals at 100 Avenue A and 26 Avenue B

On Saturday, workers removed the rest of the sidewalk bridge in front of 100 Avenue A... showing off the retail space here between Sixth Street and Seventh Street...



...that will house a Blink Fitness Center later this year.

And at 26 Avenue B, the plywood came down in front of the new residential building between Second Street and Third Street...



We weren't sure if No. 26 was going to have a retail component — looks as if it's just an entrance for the five homes here... thanks to a commenter. The work permits show a 1,600-square foot commercial space on the ground floor for an eating/drinking establishment....



Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] 6-story apartment building ready to rise from the former Croxley Ales beer garden

[Updated] Report: 28 Avenue B has been evacuated

1st look at the all-new 26 Avenue B

1st look at the all-new 26 Avenue B

The scaffolding and construction netting came down at 26 Avenue B this past week... offering the first look at the new 7-unit, 6-floor residential building between Second Street and Third Street... (This space was once home to the Croxley Ales beer garden.)

We were curious what this would look like. The rendering on the plywood showed the building next door ...



Anyway, here it is...





Developer Natan Vinbaytel was also behind 227 E. Seventh St., which people seemed to like ... as well as 67 Avenue C, which is now sold out per a news release we received last week.

To date, we haven't seen any pricing for 26 Avenue B.

H/T Salim!

Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] 6-story apartment building ready to rise from the former Croxley Ales beer garden

[Updated] Report: 28 Avenue B has been evacuated

Full-stop work order served at construction site adjacent to evacuated Avenue B building

Resident wants stuff back that workers took from not abandoned apartment

Is 26 Avenue B ready for its new building now?

26 Avenue B getting its high beams on

When we last checked in on 26 Avenue B, workers had finished the foundation. At that time, a worker told an EVG reader who lives nearby that they were going to wrap it up then and return in the spring. Heh. Well, that wasn't the case. In fact, the crew has been working double-time. We've even spotted them on site the past two Sundays. (There are approved permits for this.)



Plans call for an 8-unit, 6-floor residential building here between East Second Street and East Third Street. Still no sign of a rendering for the new building.

EVG photos from yesterday

Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] 6-story apartment building ready to rise from the former Croxley Ales beer garden

[Updated] Report: 28 Avenue B has been evacuated

Full-stop work order served at construction site adjacent to evacuated Avenue B building

Resident wants stuff back that workers took from not abandoned apartment

Is 26 Avenue B ready for its new building now?

Laying the foundation for 26 Avenue B

The excavation continues at 26 Avenue B between East Second Street and East Third Street, where there are plans for an 8-unit, 6-floor residential building.



H/T Stacie Joy

Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] 6-story apartment building ready to rise from the former Croxley Ales beer garden

[Updated] Report: 28 Avenue B has been evacuated

Full-stop work order served at construction site adjacent to evacuated Avenue B building

Resident wants stuff back that workers took from not abandoned apartment

Is 26 Avenue B ready for its new building now?

26 Avenue B is alive again with the sounds of dump trucks (and digging)

The onetime Croxley Ales beer garden is now a full-on construction zone again. Work has resumed at 26 Avenue B between East Second Street and East Third Street, where there are plans for an 8-unit, 6-floor residential building.

EVG regular Salim shared these photos, showing the activity starting Wednesday at the site…



Work stopped in April 2013, after excavation here caused the evacuation of the residents (and Croxley Ales) next-door at No. 28. A resident at No. 28 started to notice cracks in her ceiling after construction began, DNAinfo reported. Debris also reportedly fell from the building.

The current rendering on the plywood still shows the building next door … with a completion date of — !!!!!! — January 2016.



Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] 6-story apartment building ready to rise from the former Croxley Ales beer garden

[Updated] Report: 28 Avenue B has been evacuated

Full-stop work order served at construction site adjacent to evacuated Avenue B building

Resident wants stuff back that workers took from not abandoned apartment

Is 26 Avenue B ready for its new building now?

Is 26 Avenue B ready for its new building now?

It appears that work is ready to resume at 26 Avenue B between East Second Street and East Third Street, where there have been approved plans for a new 8-unit, 6-floor residential building.

Work stopped here in April 2013, after excavation at the site caused the evacuation of the residents (and Croxley Ales) next-door at No. 28. A resident at No. 28 started to notice cracks in her ceiling after construction began, DNAinfo reported. Debris also reportedly fell from the building.

In subsequent months/years, workers made structural repairs to No. 28.

The empty lot now has freshly painted plywood … and a rendering, basically showing the apartment building above the Duane Reade next door…



The lot itself remains empty…



… though it does seems like a good spot for some sun…



This space was once home to the Croxley Ales beer garden.

Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] 6-story apartment building ready to rise from the former Croxley Ales beer garden

[Updated] Report: 28 Avenue B has been evacuated

Full-stop work order served at construction site adjacent to evacuated Avenue B building

Resident wants stuff back that workers took from not abandoned apartment

Sidewalk bridge arrives outside dormant construction site on Avenue B

A small sidewalk bridge arrived this week outside 26 Avenue B… this is the site for a 6-floor apartment building … excavation work here last April 16 "possibly contributed" to the evacuation of residents next door after a crack was discovered running all the way up the back of the building.

A partial Stop Work Order remains in effect on the site of the new building. However, the city OK'd a permit in late November for "structural repair work" for 28 Avenue B.

At this point, we're not sure how many people are living in the building. The city rescinded the vacate order for residents on July 12. (Croxley Ales was able to reopen for business on June 27.)

As EVG regular Salim has noted, the entryway for residents to No. 28 appears supported by jacks, and many of the windows on the upper floors look vacant.

Meanwhile, there aren't any noticeable changes to the construction site, which remains dormant.

Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] Report: 28 Avenue B has been evacuated

Full-stop work order served at construction site adjacent to evacuated Avenue B building

[Updated] 6-story apartment building ready to rise from the former Croxley Ales beer garden

A sign at Croxley's mentions the 'incompetent contractors next door'

[Last Thursday at 26 Avenue B via EVG reader Eric]

As we previously reported, there's a full Stop Work Order on 26 Avenue B, the construction site adjacent to No. 28, the building that had to be evacuated late last Monday afternoon..

Construction recently commenced in the empty lot on a new 6-story apartment building. DNAinfo reported that a resident at 28 Avenue B started to notice cracks in her ceiling after construction began.

The DOB noted the following about No. 28:

FDNY REQUESTS A STRUCTURAL STABILITY INSPECTION DUE TO VERTICAL CTACK AT REAR OF BUILDING FROM THE 1ST TO TOP FLOOR AND

Category Code: 30 BUILDING SHAKING/VIBRATING/STRUCT STABILITY AFFECTED

Aside from displacing residents, the evacuation shut down the tenant on the ground floor — Croxley Ales. And this sign arrived to greet would-be patrons this past weekend...



Also, the DOB is allowing partial work to continue at the construction site...to "perform stabilization" to 28 Avenue B, according to city records.

[H/t EVG reader Chad]

Full-stop work order served at construction site adjacent to evacuated Avenue B building

[From early last evening]

There's now a full Stop Work Order on 26 Avenue B, the construction site adjacent to the building that had to be evacuated on Monday evening. Construction recently commenced in the empty lot next door on a new 6-story apartment building.

DNAinfo reported that a resident at 28 Avenue B started to notice cracks in her ceiling after construction started in the lot. Debris also reportedly fell from the fifth floor yesterday afternoon.

An EVG Facebook friend said that the building shifted. "There's a crack that runs up the back of the building. It's like the building experienced an earthquake."

The DOB notes the following about No. 28:

FDNY REQUESTS A STRUCTURAL STABILITY INSPECTION DUE TO VERTICAL CTACK AT REAR OF BUILDING FROM THE 1ST TO TOP FLOOR AND

Category Code: 30 BUILDING SHAKING/VIBRATING/STRUCT STABILITY AFFECTED

On Monday night, the city issued a Full Vacate Order for No. 28, which also houses Croxley Ales on the ground-floor. The bar remains closed. According to their Facebook page Monday night:

[W]e are sorry to inform you that we will be closed this evening until further notice due to neighboring construction. But have no fear! We will soon be back and better than ever...stay tuned...!!

Here's more from the Vacate Order via the DOB:



Meanwhile, yesterday, we spotted crews busy inside the 26 Avenue B site next to the damaged building. The following report is on the DOB website now for 26 Avenue B:

EXCAVATION OCCURRING AT ACTIVE SITE HAS HIT AND DAMAGED BUILDING WITH LARGE GAPING SPACE ON OUTER FASCADE, BRICK IS FALLING W/ FDNY RESPONSE IN PROGRESS. DOB REQUESTED.

Category Code: 14 EXCAVATION - UNDERMINING ADJACENT BUILDING EXCAVATION : ADJACENT BUILDING UNDERMINED

Joe Ferrante, an FDNY battalion chief, told DNAinfo that excavation "possibly contributed" to the damage at No. 28. No official word when residents might be able to return.

The following photos, via EVG Facebook friend Edward Arrocha, are from last Thursday, and show the extent of the work that was taking place inside the 26 Avenue B lot before Monday's discovery ...







And I was reminded that there were two major fires at 28 Avenue B ... one in 1994 that knocked out Collective: Unconscious and later when the storefront housed an electronic repair shop ...

Updated 8:36 a.m.



Per a reader:

"Imagine my surprise this morning when I walked past the lot at 26 Av B and saw excavation continuing. I called 311 and they said that the DOB would address the issue "within 1 1/2 business days". Here's to bureaucracy."

Perhaps they are there to help shore up the side of No. 28?
Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] 6-story apartment building ready to rise from the former Croxley Ales beer garden

[Updated] Report: 28 Avenue B has been evacuated

[Updated] 6-story apartment building ready to rise from the former Croxley Ales beer garden

We've been waiting for this one... Back in November 2009, we noted that the former beer garden at Croxley Ales was on the market...


A deal was in place for the lot back in March 2011 here on Avenue B near East Second Street. This morning, a tipster points us to the freshly arrived plywood...

Earlier in the year, the city OK'd permits for a six-story apartment building with ground-floor retail space.

Shiming Tam Architects are listed with the DOB.

Updated 3:43

Our tipster passed the site again... and workers put up more signage...

Previously on EV Grieve:
Former Croxley Ales beer garden ready for development

Things that I didn't notice before: The beer garden at Croxley Ales has closed

Deal apparently in place for former Croxley Ales beer garden