East Village restaurant Cho-Ko comes back into view on 1st Avenue

After nearly three months, workers have removed most of the plywood from outside 59 First Ave., just south of Fourth Street. (We wrote about it on Aug. 16.)

The plywood completely obscured the two storefronts here... Giggles Convenience, an unlicensed cannabis shop, which was already closed.... and the very-much-open Cho-Ko, a homey Japanese restaurant serving a variety of ramen and gyoza. 

Several people we spoke with figured the place was closed... would-be diners had to navigate a plywood tunnel to enter during the sidewalk repair work.

You can find the Cho-Ko website here. They offer delivery via the usual platforms. Phone: (212) 388-0885.

Their listed hours are noon to 2 a.m. daily, with an 11 p.m. Sunday close. 

Despite being surrounded by plywood, this East Village Japanese restaurant is very much open

Photos by Stacie Joy 

For the past six weeks, a section of sidewalk and two storefronts have been behind plywood on First Avenue just south of Fourth Street.

There are posted DOT notices, though it isn't immediately clear what workers are doing here.

And a plywood tunnel leads into the residential entrance at 59 First Ave.

At first glance, you'd assume the two businesses at the address are shuttered. Well, Giggles Convenience, an unlicensed cannabis shop, is closed — complete with NYPD stickers on the rolldown gate. 

However, Cho-Ko, a homey Japanese restaurant serving a variety of ramen and gyoza, is very much open... and they could use some business while obscured behind the sheets of plywood...

The employee on duty was grateful that we stopped by and expressed frustration over the construction out front that they have no control over ...

You can find the Cho-Ko website here. They offer delivery via the usual platforms. Phone: (212) 388-0885.

Their listed hours are noon to 2 a.m. daily, with an 11 p.m. Sunday close. 

Sidewalk usage available again on the NE corner of 3rd Avenue and St. Mark's Place

In recent months, we've been noting (here and here) the pedestrian passageway on the north side of St. Mark's Place at Third Avenue. There is/was an ongoing game of barrier accordion that saw the corridor shrink-expand anywhere from 18 inches to, say, an inch (see above).

However, in a rather unexpected development, pedestrians now have FULL access to the sidewalk again. 

As @unitof documented for us yesterday, the project manager at the development site on the corner had the plywood moved back... revealing the sidewalk again on St. Mark's Place and Third Avenue...

And for a moment, on Monday night, there was sidewalk access and a superwide pedestrian barrier...

Now, if someone could only permanently push back the construction of the 10-story office building expected here!

The expanding and shrinking pedestrian passage on St. Mark's Place at 3rd Avenue

Yesterday's news from 1 St. Mark's Place (Madison Realty Capital moving to foreclose on Real Estate Equities Corp.'s leasehold) prompted another look at the construction barriers along the construction site.

As noted in late June, the pedestrian passageway on the north side of St. Mark's Place at Third Avenue continues to shrink. At times, the passage is about a foot wide at its most narrow point ...

A few more pics from our summer collection... 

The game of barrier accordion should continue for the foreseeable future as the foreclosure proceedings continue with the developer. Who knows when construction may actually start. 

As a P.S. ... Eden spotted a familiar carpet-clad figure on the Third Avenue side of the site on Sunday...

Good news-bad news about the water-main work on 7th Street and 1st Avenue

Here's some positive news about the roadwork taking place on the west side of First Avenue at Seventh Street in recent months.

A rep for the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) told Community Board 3 late last week that the contractor has completed the water-main installation on the west side of the intersection and between First Avenue and Second Avenue. 

Workers have also removed those noisy metal plates and filled in the roadway with temporary asphalt.

So far, so good with the west side of this intersection. However, the contractor is now scheduled to begin similar work on the east side of First Avenue and Seventh Street. 

According to the DEP rep, crews will be installing the new water main on the east sidewalk of First Avenue, "about 40 feet (give or take) to the north of the north curb line and 40 feet (give or take) to the south of the south curb line of Seventh Street."

In addition, the project calls for the installation of a water main pipe up to the mid-block on Seventh Street between First Avenue and Avenue A. (The rep said that this will be done without "disturbing" any outdoor dining structures on Seventh Street east of First Avenue.) 

"We have also requested the contractor to divide this work into phases," the DEP rep said. "This will minimize the number of road plates on location for the duration of the project."

No word on a timeline for the east side. The repair work on the west side of the intersection began in early May.

As previously reported, there were back-to-back breaks here in late December. The multiple ruptures sent water rushing into businesses and residences along Seventh Street between First Avenue and Avenue A. 

The work earlier this summer disrupted the lives of residents and businesses due to the all-consuming noise, both during the day when the work crew was on the scene and after-hours when cars and trucks would pass over the multiple metal plates on the roadway. (Read our posts here and here.)

Our coverage, as well as a follow-up piece in the Post, apparently got the attention of the DEP, who told the paper: 

"The ongoing upgrades to the critical infrastructure that serves the East Village must be carried out in a way that respects the residents and businesses in the area and we have directed our contractors to take several steps to ensure that this happens. Inspectors will be following up with regular visits."

Businesses and residents can file service complaints with Community Board 3 via this link. 

Checking in on the intersection of 7th Street and 1st Avenue

Last week, EVG regular Daniel Efram reported on the hellish roadwork consuming the west side of First Avenue at Seventh Street.

Crews reporting to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) returned to the intersection to replace portions of the water main back in May. 

As previously reported, there were back-to-back breaks here in late December. The multiple ruptures sent water rushing into businesses and residences along Seventh Street between First Avenue and Avenue A. 

Neighbors talked about an all-consuming noise, both during the day when the work crew was on the scene, and after-hours when cars and trucks would pass over the multiple metal plates on the roadway.

Neighbors now report a slight improvement, as workers removed some of the metal plates and hauled away stacks of old pipes and other constructions materials left scattered on the curb along Seventh Street (thanks to Steven for these photos...)

Over the weekend, the Post picked up our story (even linking to EVG, a rarity — clunk).

The folks at E7 Deli & Cafe on the northeast corner of First Avenue and Seventh Street are understandably not happy. A few hours after their grand opening this past December one of the water main breaks flooded the basement.

"It is a big pain in the ass, I am pissed off," E7 owner Esam Alreyashi told the paper about the ongoing construction. "There's noise every day."

Local City Councilmember Carlina Rivera's office has been working with the DEP to clean up the site and do a better job of securing the metal plates.

The Post also got a comment from a DEP spokesperson:

"The ongoing upgrades to the critical infrastructure that serves the East Village must be carried out in a way that respects the residents and businesses in the area and we have directed our contractors to take several steps to ensure that this happens. Inspectors will be following up with regular visits."

Still no word on an end date for the work.

[Updated] Construction hell is consuming the intersection of 1st Avenue at 7th Street

Photos and story by Daniel Efram

The ongoing roadwork on the west side of First Avenue at Seventh Street continues to negatively impact the quality of life for both residents and business owners along this corridor. Noise from backhoes, earth flatteners, jackhammers, circular saws, and cars and commercial cartage trucks on the uneven metal plates on the streets and avenues have brought this intersection to a boiling point.

Piping and construction materials, garbage and standing water are the norms. Human waste oozes from the rarely emptied portable toilets. Worst of all — there isn't any timetable for the end of the roadwork.

Crews reporting to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) returned to the intersection to replace portions of the water main back in May. 

As previously reported, there were back-to-back breaks here in late December. The multiple ruptures sent water rushing into businesses and residences along Seventh Street between First Avenue and Avenue A. 

In the weeks/months after the breaks, there was a patchwork of quick fixes on the intersection, and a hodge-podge of sinkholes and cracked surfaces emerged

The DEP contractors covered the various holes with metal plates, and the sound of cars, trucks and buses driving over the plates overnight has disrupted the sleep of residents living within earshot.

   

A resident assembled the above video in March — a best-of montage of cars and trucks driving over the metal plates.

However, it's not just the noise — the reverberations have caused cracks in several nearby buildings. Two residents in the area said when they called 311, the city eventually dispatched inspectors, who subsequently fined the landlords for the cracks in the buildings exacerbated by the ongoing street repairs. Meanwhile, there has been near-constant jackhammering in the past two-plus months, with some complaints being lodged for work on Saturdays. Residents said they are also irked by workers apparently slacking off on the job and crews taking weeks off without explanation. "I live in one of the buildings on the corner and have had a front-row seat to the shoddy work and laissez-faire attitude of this crew since December," said one resident, who asked to remain anonymous. "They show up at 7 a.m. with a crew of six or so, stand around yelling to each other until about 10 a.m., work for an hour, take lunch, work for a little bit more and finish by 2 or 3 p.m." According to the resident, only a few workers will be active at any given time, and they "walk around like they own the block." "They have taken over a huge part of our block and make no effort to clean up where they have worked or minimize the effects on the residents," the resident said. According to the residents I spoke to, there appears to be little, if any, oversight on this sprawling project. Several residents said they have reached out to local elected officials, including City Council Member Carlina Rivera, Assemblymember Harvey Epstein and Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, to request immediate accountability with a transparent timeline — delivered by an independent third party. According to Rivera's office, there is someone assigned to oversee this case. Residents and business owners hope that elected officials can have the work expedited with a definitive timetable. (Anyone wishing to file a complaint can use the subject "7th Street & 1st Avenue Construction Complaints." Community Board 3 has a service complaint here.) Updated 8/5 We asked Community Board 3 District Manager Susan Stetzer for an update. She said that her office has asked the DEP for a timetable and signage to let people know what is happening. As for complaints, Stetzer said to let her office know via the service complaint form here.

"We will not be able to fix all the problems, but we can try to have mitigated as much as possible," she said. And residents should file a complaint sooner rather than later: CB3 has an interagency meeting that will include the DEP this coming Tuesday. "So it would be helpful to have complaints before then," she said.

Repairs finally for the 'warped' intersection of 1st Avenue and 7th Street

Workers from the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) are back at the intersection of Seventh Street and First Avenue to replace portions of the water main...

As you may recall, there were back-to-back breaks here in late December ... the ruptures sent water rushing into businesses and residences along Seventh Street. 

It took a while for these more substantial repairs. The "fucked-up street surface," as one nearby resident called it, has been a topic of frustration in conversations on the East Village Neighbors Facebook group (and in the EVG inbox) this late winter and early spring.

In the weeks/months after the breaks, there was a patchwork of quick fixes on the wonky-looking intersection...

Said one resident: "Basically, the second water main break warped the avenue ... They come out to jackhammer constantly, make a hole, fill it with dirt, and then it caves in. "

Then another sinkhole would form.

And after residents file a complaint: "They come, throw some asphalt onto a sunken hole, leave and nothing is fixed."

The DEP contractors then started covering the holes with metal plates instead ... and the sound of cars, trucks and buses driving over the plates overnight has disrupted the sleep of some residents living nearby.

Said the previously quoted resident: "The trucks wake me up at 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 a.m. and I've started getting migraines, which I've never had."

Hopefully, the repairs that started this week will prevent any future breaks and stabilize the roadway — and put an end to the various headaches.

Reader report: Construction worker laughs at resident who's about to lose his daylight

After breaking ground two-and-a-half years ago, work is picking up here at 118 E. First St. between Avenue A and First Avenue. 

Crew members — the contractor is listing on the plywood as Wonder Works Construction Corp. — are several floors up now on what will be a 9-floor residential building.

Jan Baracz, a 36-year resident next door, has been monitoring their progress as he's about to lose 70 percent of the natural daylight in his apartment as his views will become an air shaft.

He filmed the workers yesterday after hearing "their screaming of obscenities" and "the fact that many of them do not wear masks." (He has called 311.)

During the video, one worker tells another "you're on candid camera" ... and the one worker says with a laugh at the 36-second point: "Two more weeks and you won't be able to see us anymore!"

 

Said Baracz: "The workers are having a kick out of entombing us here."

As previously reported, the 9-story residential building will include seven units divided over 12,500 square feet of residential space — most likely condos. 

Previously on EV Grieve:
• 118 E. 1st St. arrives on the market with so many possibilities, and air rights

• 118 E. 1st. St. will yield to a new 9-floor residential building

• Demolition of 118 E. 1st St. begins to make way for 9-story residential building

14th Street residents enduring construction hell while under stay-at-home orders

For the past two and a half years, residents along 14th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B have endured the ongoing L-train reconstruction. (Read about that here and here.)

Now more construction arrived at the end of March as the NYC Department of Environmental Protection decided to start a (non-emergency) old sewer line repair in the middle of 14th Street between A and B.



Residents of 542 E. 14th St. described the scenario:

The project involves jackhammers, chainsaws, a pipe cutter, several generators/pumps, as well as cranes. The sound is unbearably loud, at times shakes the building, goes on all day, including weekends, and is expected to continue for several weeks.

The result is that, while we are stuck inside our homes upon the order of the governor because of the pandemic, we are being forced to endure incredibly loud and disruptive non-emergency work on the part of the DEP. This is cruel and is completely outside the spirit of solidarity we need right now. Everyone is trying to do their part in staying sane and calm during this ongoing crisis, and yet we are being tortured by unnecessary repair work.

According to the residents, the "worst" of the work takes place between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., though it commences at 7 a.m. and lasts until 3 p.m.

Below is a three-second sampling of what goes on for hours...



Back to the residents: "This is a real 'screw you' to the community, especially after we've endured two and a half years of the ongoing MTA construction."

Previously on EV Grieve:
Nightmare scenario for residents who learn that 14th Street and Avenue A will be the main staging area for the L-train reconstruction

Construction next door causes Rossy's Bakery & Café to temporarily close on 3rd Street

As if the current health crisis hasn't bludgeoned the restaurant business enough already, Rossy's Bakery & Café, which had been open for take-out service, was forced to close yesterday due to the ongoing construction next door.

A 7-floor, 20-unit residential building is slated for 238 E. Third St. between Avenue B and Avenue C — directly next door to neighborhood favorite Rossy's.

Although Gov. Cuomo halted all non-essential construction back on Friday, the damage to Rossy's kitchen from the site next door had apparently been done.

Rossy shared the news yesterday via Instagram...

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Norma Rossy (@rossysbakery) on Mar 31, 2020 at 8:09am PDT

Cemetery wall knocked down during post-fire work behind 1st Avenue

A tipster points us to the East Side Outside Community Garden on 11th Street just east of First Avenue.

In recent months, workers have accessed the garden space to gain entry to the rear of 188 First Ave., which suffered a major fire last October.

While the structural stability of No. 188 was reportedly unaffected by the fire, the extension behind the permanently closed Uogashi needed to be removed.

Of concern to the tipster: The stone wall dating to the 1860s that lines the garden has been badly damaged during the work behind the First Avenue buildings...





Preservationists believe this is the western wall of a long-vanished cemetery.


[Map from 1867]

Here's what the wall looked like a few years ago...



The Village Preservation wrote about this cemetery back in 2013 (at the time, they were trying to spare part of the property from what became the luxury condoplex Steiner East Village).

While the cemetery opened in 1833, where the wall is located did not become the western boundary of the cemetery until the 1860s, and thus there may not have been a wall here prior to then. The cemetery remained on this site until 1909, so the wall also could have been built as late as the first years of the last century.

After the cemetery closed in 1909, the land was divided up and much of it sold. The eastern section became Mary Help of Christians Church (1917) and School (1925)

The school and church were demolished in 2013.

In the L-Zone: The Little Tree That Could

The following is via the residents of 542 E. 14th St.

Among the many egregious acts the MTA has foisted upon our area is the chainsawing down of all of our old growth trees in the median from the mid block (between Avenues A and B) to Avenue B — except for one tree.

This lone tree survived the chainsawing but is now in peril because its protective fencing is damaged, and the MTA workers are using the space around its trunk to pile brick, pipes, stones, debris and garbage.

After 19 months of work (with no end in sight), this tree has managed to survive the diesel fumes, bulldozing, chainsawing and pollution from this project. It's the Little Tree That Could.

We think the tree deserves to survive and thought it is also a good metaphor for the damage that's been inflicted on our few blocks. The tree, and our neighborhood, deserve better.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Nightmare scenario for residents who learn that 14th Street and Avenue A will be the main staging area for the L-train reconstruction

Report: MTA commits to a shorter work day for the 14th Street L-train rehab

[EVG file photo]

Residents along 14th Street between Avenue B and First Avenue may now have less evening L-train construction noise to endure.

As Town & Village reports, the MTA has agreed to reduce the hours of operation as it continues to prep for the L-train slowdown next month.

Per their report:

Neighbors have said work often ends at 11 p.m. on weekdays and Saturdays, although the MTA has said it tries to stop any noisy work by 10 p.m. But on Tuesday night, the MTA’s chief development officer overseeing the project, Janno Lieber, committed to stopping work by 7 p.m. at a meeting held by Community Board 3’s Transportation Committee.

“We’re constantly looking for ways to minimalize the impact of our work on neighbors, and they understandably have been asking for shorter hours,” Shams Tarek, a spokesperson for the MTA, told Town & Village.

Tarek added that the MTA wanted to first consult the contractor to make sure doing this wouldn’t lengthen the duration of the project, which includes the creation of an Avenue A entrance to the First Avenue L station. The new schedule of 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday to Friday, with possibly shorter hours on Saturday is effective immediately.

Other L-train details are still being decided, such as the possibility of exit-only stations at First and Third Avenues once the L-train slowdown officially starts later next month.

Meanwhile, on the topic of the L-train work along this corridor... a resident who lives adjacent to the construction zone, recently shared these videos from 8 p.m., showing that not everyone on the site may be all that busy after hours ...

In the first one, the operator of this diesel hydraulic excavator attempts to right a tipped rubber trash can...



...and here's the excavator trying to be a broom...



... and not sure what's happening here...



Previously on EV Grieve:
Nightmare scenario for residents who learn that 14th Street and Avenue A will be the main staging area for the L-train reconstruction

From bad to pretty bad: MTA releases more details on the new L-train rehab plan