Anyway, we understand that the building's landlord will block off this section of the sidewalk until city repairs can be made.
The business here, AuH20 Thriftique, an excellent vintage shop, will be open per usual from noon to 7 p.m.
H/T Cara!
Blackstone decided to build the plants on the property to lower their electric bill with Con Ed because gas and electricity are included in our rents. The electricity would be exported to the Con Ed grid, and our buildings would get the steam as a byproduct for heat.A major issue is that we think this violates the zoning applying to the property. But the pollution is of concern beyond our community. The plants are CHP (combined heat and power), also known as cogen, short for cogeneration, burn natural gas (a fossil fuel), and are regarded as less polluting than other types of plants. But Con Ed will not be reducing its output, so any emissions from the plants in ST will be additive. The plant that has been built but isn't yet operational is on Avenue C between 15th and 16th Streets.Our neighbors to the south are already living in the shadow of the massive Con Ed plant on 14th Street. Our air is already some of the most polluted in the city with the resulting bad health outcomes.
StuyTown-Peter Cooper management previously said that "the project will significantly reduce source greenhouse gas emissions" and that the property "remains a model for best-in-class sustainability practices."
The rally takes place on Avenue C at 16th Street. You can find more background via the TA's website here.
The TA's last rally was in June. You can read coverage of that at amNY ... and The Village Sun.In 2018, Beam Living announced they would be constructing a power plant fueled by natural gas purchased from Con Ed on the Main level between 245 and 271 Avenue C. The plant would produce steam for 24 buildings, and the electricity would go back to Con Ed to offset management’s costs. Renderings of the plant shown to the Tenants Association and to tenants depicted a smaller, less intrusive structure than the final version. The plant was almost complete in 2020 when Beam Living announced a second plant, this one to be constructed under the floor of Garage #1 on 20th Street. Any electricity produced would be sold back to Con Ed.
Last night aprox 3 a.m. there was a HUGE series of explosions rocking the entire block. What sounded like extremely loud electrical crackling was booming as a sustained series of explosions that lasted 10-15 minutes as giant clouds of acrid smoke rose from a vent in the street near the bike lane directly in front of 87-89 First Ave.The bizarre crackling/buzzing/explosion sound had me thinking we were under attack again (9/11 flashback). Either that or some kind of "Cloverfield" situation... Multiple firehouses and emergency agencies arrived.
Soon, it was deemed the perfect place to put Met Life’s new middle-class housing developments, Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village.
In 1945, 3,000 families were moved out of the Gas House District ...
According to the study’s findings from investigations in 2006 and 2008, contaminants were found, but located deep in the ground (at least five feet) with most even lower, and in groundwater beneath the site, though that water is not used for drinking. MGP residential levels tested in the air indoors were found to be typical. Outdoor air samples collected were also found to be normal for an urban area. Because of this, Con Ed said in an advisory this week that it’s unlikely people will come into contact with these contaminants, though air monitoring will continue.
Still, the company is now proposing a “remediation” (cleanup) plan for the site that involves, among other things, the placement of wells.
Of the remaining 30,700 gallons of lost oil, some may still be recovered on land around the Farragut Substation, but the U.S. Coast Guard estimated Wednesday that around 5,200 gallons seeped into the river Sunday.
That estimate is based on averages from other cleanups where the agency estimates it can usually collect ten percent of the oil that escapes into water, officials said.
And clean water advocates warn that breakneck currents along the East River make it, "almost the worst possible spill recovery scenario."
Synthetic mineral oil is considered "non-toxic" by the state's DEC and is less harmful to water quality and wildlife than petroleum, though it can still harm fish and birds, according to a Con Edison spokesman.
People should avoid direct contact with the spill as it can cause eye and skin irritation and shouldn't fish in the area, according to the state DEC.