The Living Stage Summer Festival is this weekend in the Meltzer Tower Garden

The (outdoor) stage is set inside the Meltzer Tower Garden on First Street between First Avenue and Avenue A...



As a reminder, volunteers from the Superhero Clubhouse along with University Settlement are hosting the Living Stage Summer Festival here this weekend.

The details via Facebook:

The Living Stage combines horticulture, theatrical design, and community engagement to create recyclable, biodegradable, biodiverse, and edible performance spaces.

Created by and for the Lower East Side community, The Living Stage Summer Festival features family-friendly activities including a live, original, intergenerational performance, music, gardening information sessions, and tours. There will be opportunities to engage with local nonprofits, businesses, gardeners, artists, and community leaders. Join us!

A free event for the whole family!

Meltzer Tower Garden, 94 E 1st St

Friday, August 4, 5-8 p.m.
Saturday, August 5, 12-5 p.m.
Free Outdoor Performance: Friday 7 p.m., Saturday 4 p.m.

Find more info here ...

The Living Stage Summer Festival coming to Meltzer Tower Garden

You may have seen some activity at Meltzer Tower Garden on First Street between First Avenue and Avenue A...



Volunteers from the Superhero Clubhouse along with University Settlement are prepping the space for the Living Stage Summer Festival.

Here are details via Facebook:

The Living Stage combines horticulture, theatrical design, and community engagement to create recyclable, biodegradable, biodiverse, and edible performance spaces.

Created by and for the Lower East Side community, The Living Stage Summer Festival features family-friendly activities including a live, original, intergenerational performance, music, gardening information sessions, and tours. There will be opportunities to engage with local nonprofits, businesses, gardeners, artists, and community leaders. Join us!

A free event for the whole family!

Meltzer Tower Garden, 94 E 1st St

Friday, August 4, 5-8pm
Saturday, August 5, 12-5pm
Free Outdoor Performance: Friday 7pm, Saturday 4pm

Find more info here ... and here.

Petition campaign launched to stop luxury housing at Meltzer Tower

Friends of Meltzer have launched a petition campaign to help stop the city's plan to lease the park space at Max Meltzer Tower to private developers... among other things, the new development would wipe out the park at the senior citizen development at 94 E. First St. near First Avenue ...

Per the petition:

The proposed NYCHA infill plan will create luxury housing on existing properties throughout New York City intended for residents with limited incomes, depriving them of much needed air, light, space, and recreational facilities. In the case of Meltzer Tower, a residence for low-income seniors, NYCHA is planning to destroy a local park adjacent to the building containing a stand of over two-dozen fully mature trees.

Find the petition here.

There's also a Facebook group called Friends of Meltzer with more details.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Outrage over proposal to turn the green space at the Meltzer Tower into private development (35 comments)

Flyers urge residential action against proposed development at Meltzer Tower

[March 2013]

Opposition continues to mount against the city's plan to lease the park space at Max Meltzer Tower to private developers... among other things, the new development would wipe out the park at the senior citizen development at 94 E. First St. near First Avenue ... taking down 26 trees with it...

New flyers went up on buildings near Max Meltzer this past weekend...


[Click image to enlarge

The flyers urge residents to speak out against the proposal during tomorrow night's CB3 subcommittee meeting at 6:30 ... as well as the full CB3 meeting on April 23.


[Via Steven Matthews]

There's also a new Facebook group called Friends of Meltzer with more details.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Outrage over proposal to turn the green space at the Meltzer Tower into private development (35 comments)

Here's what the city has planned for open space at Meltzer Tower

This week, more details emerged about the city's plan to lease playground and community-center space to developers within public housing areas. On Wednesday, we looked at the plans for Campos Plaza.

In the image above, you'll see what's in store for the Meltzer Tower off of East First Street between First Avenue and Avenue A (via the NYCHA website):

Max Meltzer Tower on Manhattan's Lower East Side is a 20-story building exclusively for seniors with 230 apartments housing an estimated 246 residents.

Meltzer Tower has a $10.5 million unmet need for capital building improvements over the next 5 years.

Proposed Development on Land Lease Site(s)
East 1st Street Site
Site Area: 13,000 SF (Approximate)
New Construction: 121,500 SF of Residential Floor Area (Approximate)
18,500 SF of Commercial Floor Area (Approximate)
97 New Apartments

Current Uses on Land Lease Site(s)
-Landscaped Seating Area

Benefits for Meltzer Tower Residents
-Redesigned Central Plaza with resident participation
-Preference for new low-income apartments
-Emergency power generation for critical building systems
-Temporary and permanent job opportunities
-Enhanced security for development

Here's the presentation that officials gave on March 13.

NYCHA Infill Sites Presentation for Resident Meeting 3-13-13 (Meltzer Tower) from NYCHA Nyc-Housing

A reader pointed us to the FAQs for the proposal.

Wouldn’t this be disruptive to the community?
Construction would not take place forever, and would be conducted in a strictly monitored fashion. Additionally, construction would generate job opportunities for NYCHA residents. Once the new building is in place, there would also be additional, permanent job opportunities for NYCHA residents to pursue.