The Charlie Parker Jazz Festival returns to Tompkins Square Park this Aug. 25

Yesterday, the City Parks Foundation announced its SummerStage series lineup for 2024, which includes dozens of free and benefit concerts in neighborhood parks. 

Among the shows is the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival, which will be held in Tompkins Square Park on Sunday, Aug. 25, from 3 to 7 p.m. 

Details on what to expect in Tompkins on that day... via the City Parks Foundation website... 

As part of the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival, the newly minted (2023) Jazz Master Louis Hayes is joined by some of the more impressive talents in modern jazz. Hayes, a one-time member of McCoy Tyner's trio, has been leading bands since he was a teenager in 1950s Detroit, recorded with John Coltrane and Yusef Lateer, and did stints in quartets with Horace Silver and Cannonball Adderley, as well as time with the Oscar Peterson Trio. 

He's supported by the 24-year-old Cameroonian-American jazz vocalist Ekep Nkwelle, a Juilliard grad and rising star of Jazz at Lincoln Center; and Alexis Lombre, the Chicago-born pianist, vocalist, and composer whose 2017 debut Southside Sounds pays homage to her home’s artistic and cultural heritage. 

The bill also features a performance from SuperBlue, the collaboration between Kurt Elling — one of jazz's preeminent male vocalists — and Charlie Hunter, the guitar virtuoso who plays custom-made seven- and eight-string guitars that allow him to play bass lines, chords, and melodies simultaneously.

They're supported by the high-energy, horn-driven Brooklyn-based ensemble Huntertones. Multi-talented DJ and host of WBGO's podcast Milestones DJ KulturedChild aka Angelika Beener is on the ones and twos.

The festival, which started in Tompkins Square Park in 1993, holds a significant place in the jazz community. It takes place near or on Parker's birthday on Aug. 29. Additional dates were added in Harlem in 2000, further expanding its reach. 

Parker, who died in 1955 at age 34, lived at 151 Avenue B from 1950-1954. That residential building between Ninth Street and 10th Street is landmarked.    

More details emerge about the revamped Webster Hall, returning this spring with Patti Smith, Sharon Van Etten and Royal Trux

[EVG photo from last month]

The operators of the all-new Webster Hall released details yesterday about the revamped venue on 11th Street between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue.

As previously reported, Webster Hall — now owned by BSE Global and The Bowery Presents — returns this spring (about a year earlier than expected).

For starters, Webster Hall announced a slate of performers, starting with Patti Smith and Her Band on May 1. Other upcoming acts include Broken Social Scene, MGMT, Empire of the Sun, Old Dominion, Sharon Van Etten, Built to Spill, Real Estate, Big Thief, TroyBoi and Royal Trux.



You can find more dates at the Webster Hall website. American Express card members can purchase tickets before the general public beginning Monday morning and through Thursday. Tickets for the general public go on sale March 1 at noon.

No word yet on the official opening date or performer. (RUMORED headliners include the Yeah Yeah, Yeahs, the Strokes, the National and Lady Gaga. Just one of them — not all four.)

Meanwhile, here's more via the news release from Webster Hall...

The renovations at Webster Hall aimed to preserve the iconic features of the venue, while modernizing it to meet today’s entertainment standards and enhance the guest experience. The Lounge (formerly The Marlin Room) has been revamped to serve as a bar and meeting spot for ticketholders both before and after shows in the Grand Ballroom.

Design details of The Lounge include elegant gold stenciling on the walls that pays homage to the original historic design, and fluted glass along the bar that mimics the venue’s former windows.

In the Grand Ballroom, the original stage remains, while acoustics were enhanced to create an optimal live event experience. Fans and artists returning to Webster Hall will notice other new features such as central air conditioning, expanded restrooms, additional stairwells for smoother entry and exit, and the venue’s first-ever elevator that will serve guests with disabilities and speed up each show’s load-in and load-out process.

Behind the scenes, an artist compound was built with upgraded amenities to provide direct access to the Ballroom stage, creating a more comfortable and inviting environment for performers and their management. The venue’s basement level, formerly known as The Studio at Webster Hall, will also return, with more details to be announced at a later date.

The architect of the revived venue is OTJ Architects, the contractor is Shawmut Design and Construction, and acoustic design is by L’Acoustics. Once open, Webster Hall will employ an estimated 70 people across various positions in the venue, between front of house and back of house, on any given event night.

The Times got a sneak preview of the venue yesterday, if you'd like to read that here.

This landmarked building has been around since 1886. It re-opened as Webster Hall in October 1992 after the Ballinger family purchased and renovated the space that was known as The Ritz during the 1980s.

Previously on EV Grieve:
When Webster Hall reopens, there might be a Moxy Hotel across the street

First sign of upcoming renovations at the former Webster Hall

Permits filed to renovate Webster Hall

The Webster Hall marquee looks to be in danger of falling

Plywood arrives at Webster Hall

A new marquee for Webster Hall

Only 178 shopping days left until the L-train shutdown

As you may have heard, read, seen, the MTA yesterday announced that the much-anticipated and long-dreaded (but necessary!) L-train shutdown will begin on Saturday, April 27, 2019.

If you missed this, then here are more details via the MTA news release, shared here...

MTA New York City Transit (MTA NYC Transit) and the New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) announced new details about what customers can expect ahead of April 2019 when the L train tunnel between Manhattan and Brooklyn is closed for 15 months for extensive repairs from Superstorm Sandy...

• The L tunnel will close for its 15-month reconstruction on Saturday, April 27, 2019. This means that the last day for L service between 8th Av and Bedford Av in Brooklyn will be Friday, April 26, 2019. L train service will continue throughout Brooklyn, between the Bedford Av station, which will remain open during the tunnel closure, and the Canarsie-Rockaway Parkway station.

• The alternative service options for customers, which includes five additional bus routes, a new M14 Select Bus Service on 14th Street and a ferry service, will begin on Sunday, April 21, 2019, to allow for customers to sample and become acclimated to new travel options. The additional subway service on other lines – more than 1,000 additional roundtrips – will begin on April 28, 2019, following the L tunnel closure. Read the full plan for temporary service options in support of the L tunnel reconstruction project.

• Customers will be able to meet in person with MTA NYC Transit and NYCDOT team members to plan their routes, through a series of open houses, pop-up events or one of the three mobile information centers – two vans and a bus – which will make stops to meet with customers. Official dates and times for open houses and schedules for events and the mobile information center locations will be posted on the L tunnel reconstruction website once announced.

• Numerous stations have received or are receiving capacity expansions, with newly reopened or expanded entrances, stairs and corridors. NYCDOT and MTA NYC Transit are coordinating with key City agencies – such as the NYPD, Department of Buildings and Citywide Events Coordination and Management – on aligning City operations with the needs of L train alternate transit services, including working to minimize disruption from construction projects and events.

• The construction for the project is on schedule. In Manhattan, the construction site footprint and hours of work both reduce between 1st Avenue and Avenue A in January 2019. In Brooklyn, most barricades will be removed along with permanent street and sidewalk restoration on Bedford Avenue by early November 2018, and throughout early 2019, work will continue to open and do permanent finishes on the additional stairs, three of four which have already opened for increased capacity.

• Officials are committing to monitor the air for particulates typically caused by diesel emissions, known as PM2.5, and making results publicly available. This is in addition to the air quality monitoring already in place for the project’s construction sites.

• Outreach continues with customers, local residents, local businesses, and elected officials.

“We’re continuing unprecedented efforts at public outreach, responding to local communities and giving as much notice as possible on key dates in this project,” said NYC Transit President Andy Byford. “With the l running as a Brooklyn-only service for 15 months starting after the weekend of April 27, we’ve been hard at work with our partners at NYCDOT and other City agencies to make sure that the alternate train, bus, ferry and bicycle networks work together to get people around successfully.”

“With DOT crews now putting down new street markings for bus lanes and bike lanes, we are deeply committed to having our streets ready for the l tunnel closure next April,” said DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg. “From a ‘bus bridge’ over the Williamsburg Bridge to the 14th Street Busway, from more Citi Bikes to expanded pedestrian space for displaced l train commuters, we and our MTA partners are up for this enormous challenge.”

For a reminder about remaining L service changes in 2018, visit the L 2018 service notice page. To help customers plan ahead in 2019, new service information details about the L in 2019 include:

Overnight service closures and weekend closures during February, March and April 2019, from 8th Av in Manhattan to Broadway Junction in Brooklyn to prepare the tunnel ahead of the closure and to expedite maintenance on the l tracks remaining in service when the tunnel is closed. Weekend dates scheduled are:
- Feb 2-3
- Feb 9-10
- Feb 16-17
- Feb 23-24
- Mar 2-3
- Mar 9-10
- Mar 16-17
- April 27-28

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

Prepping for the new protected bike lanes on 12th and 13th streets

Bike lane line work continues on 12th Street

Stuy Town to catch some major solar rays

[Rendering via]

Via the EVG inbox yesterday...

Blackstone and Ivanhoé Cambridge today announced plans to implement the largest private multi-family residential rooftop solar project in the United States. The project will be run by StuyTown Property Services (SPS), the property management company of Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village.

This 3.8 Megawatt (DC) solar energy system will span across the property’s 22 acres of rooftops. Once completed, StuyTown will have tripled Manhattan’s capacity to generate solar power. NYC-based renewable energy developer Onyx Renewable Partners is project developer for the installation, which is expected to begin this winter and reach completion in 2019.

The installation will consist of 9,671 high efficiency solar panels and will generate enough energy to power over 1,000 New York City apartments annually. The project is expected to offset approximately 63,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions, comparable to removing 12,000 cars from the road for a year.

StuyTown is the first multifamily building in NYC to have received an ENERGY STAR certification, which it has won three years in a row for its sophisticated energy management technologies ... The community has been particularly active and enthusiastic in supporting StuyTown’s compost waste pickup, averaging just over 10,000 pounds of organic material collected weekly – representing 17 percent of all residential compost waste collected in Manhattan. StuyTown has already reduced on-site greenhouse gas emissions by 10 percent since 2007, and has now expanded into the solar sphere as part of its larger commitment to environmental sustainability.

StuyTown is the largest rental apartment complex in the U.S., with 11,200-plus multifamily units in 56 buildings across 80 acres in Manhattan’s East Village. It houses more than 27,000 New Yorkers and represents 1.7 percent of Manhattan’s population.

What are those green bicycle lights on Citi Bike?

Via the EVG inbox today...

As part of an ongoing commitment to safer cycling in New York, the Citi Bike program is installing an innovative new safety feature — the Blaze Laserlight on 250 bikes this winter, Citi Bike and Blaze leadership announced today.

This pilot program aims to make Citi Bike riders more visible to drivers and pedestrians, creating safer conditions on the road and providing greater peace of mind to all.

Extensive research on the Laserlight on London’s bike share fleet revealed that a cyclist with a Laserlight at night is even more visible than a cyclist in daytime.

The vast majority of London bus drivers surveyed said the light made it easier to notice and react to cyclists at night, while 75% of cyclists felt more confident cycling with a Laserlight.

“By incorporating Blaze’s lights into the bike, we aim to keep New Yorkers on foot, behind the wheel and riding a Citi Bike safer and to improve the rider experience overall so that people of all backgrounds are inspired to try New York City’s popular bike share program,” said Jay Walder, President & CEO of Motivate, operators of the Citi Bike program. “Bike share is an extremely safe way to get around, and we are proud to work with Blaze to welcome every rider to Citi Bike while helping our city get ever closer to our Vision Zero goals.”

Rosie Mendez co-sponsors proposed new city legislation cracking down on Airbnb

Local City Council member Rosie Mendez is one of two sponsors behind new legislation that would potentially empower tenants to sue their landlords for using Airbnb or other short-term stay services to rent out neighboring apartments as hotel rooms.

Here's the official release via Mendez's office yesterday:

NYC Council Members Rory Lancman and Rosie Mendez announced the introduction of legislation to crack down on tenant harassment from illegal hotel conversions. Their bill would expand the definition of harassment to include illegal conversions of residential units, and create a new civil penalty for landlords who use Airbnb and other illegal hotel companies to harass and push out tenants using illegal conversions.

"Airbnb and illegal hotels destroy the quality of life of those around them and pose a grave threat to New York's affordable housing supply. This bill lets tenants take landlords to court to win injunctions against illegal conversions and impose fines that support the city's housing enforcement efforts. We need to call out illegal hotel conversions for what they really are — tenant harassment," said NYC Council Member Rory Lancman, Chair of the Committee on Courts & Legal Services.

“I am proud to co-introduce legislation with Councilman Rory Lancman that would enable tenants to sue their landlords in housing court for renting out residential apartments, contrary to the law, as hotel units,” said NYC Council Member Rosie Mendez.

Tenant harassment complaints in Housing Court have nearly doubled since 2011, and complaints of illegal hotels in New York City have also greatly increased in recent years. In 2014, there were 1,150 illegal hotel complaints, a 62 percent increase since 2013. 883 inspections were performed in response to those 1,150 complaints and 804 violations were issued. Unsurprisingly, the growth of illegal hotel activity in New York City has matched rapid growth of online short-term rental websites like Airbnb.

There are currently over 28,000 residential units being listed for transient hotel use on Airbnb. This represents a 5,800 percent growth in units from 2009, when Airbnb first began allowing New Yorkers to list their residences online. A report published late last year by the New York State Attorney General analyzing Airbnb bookings in New York City from January 1, 2010 through June 2, 2014, found that nearly 75 percent of Airbnb’s listings were in violation of state law.

Furthermore, a new data tool – www.insideairbnb.com — launched by an independent software developer that collects all public data points from Airbnb’s website showed:

• The value of 77 percent of Airbnb listings comes from illegal rentals of entire apartments;

• Nearly 60 percent (16,000) of Airbnb listings offer the entire home/apartment (in violation of state law), and those units are available for rent an average of 247 days (68 percent of the year); and

• Nearly one-third of Airbnb listings come from hosts with multiple units, such as commercial landlords, not regular New York tenants.

Currently, the definition of what constitutes legally actionable harassment does not include illegal conversions. If passed, this new expanded definition of harassment would allow a court to impose a civil penalty against a landlord of between $1,000 and $5,000 for every unit in which the court finds a tenant who is lawfully entitled to that unit has been harassed (through the existence of an illegal conversion).

Just last week, Governor Cuomo, Attorney General Schneiderman, and Mayor de Blasio announced the launch of a joint enforcement task force, titled the Tenant Harassment Prevention Task Force, to investigate and bring enforcement actions – including criminal charges – against landlords who harass tenants. The task force will confront the rise in complaints that landlords are using a variety of tactics, including disruptive and dangerous renovation and construction projects, to force tenants into vacating rent-regulated apartments.

Under the Lancman/Mendez tenant harassment bill, illegal hotel conversions would be included in the definition of harassment, and therefore could fall under the jurisdiction of the Tenant Harassment Prevention Task Force and be subject to its investigations and enforcement actions.

Airbnb spokeperson Nick Papas told the Post: "We strongly oppose large-scale illegal hotels and we know most Airbnb hosts share only the home in which they live and use the money they earn to pay the bills."

Snow jobs: The cost of plowing NYC streets

[Avenue A the other morning]

Because snow has been a topic of conversation this week... From the EVG inbox...

Light snow and heavy snow seasons are significantly more expensive than average snow seasons on a cost-per-inch basis, according to a new analysis released today by New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer. Since the winter of 2003, the cost of clearing New York City streets of snow and ice has averaged $1.8 million per inch, but that amount has varied considerably on a year-to-year basis.

“Snow removal costs the City millions of dollars annually, but it turns out that average winters give us the best bang for the buck on that front,” Comptroller Stringer said. “The total amount that the City pays to plow our streets grows with each storm, but counterintuitively, it’s a lot more expensive per inch when we get a little, or a lot, of snow in a season. Consider the old adage of $1 million per inch debunked.”

Find a PDF of Stringer's report here.

Hey, the MTA upped the cost to ride subways and buses today

[EVG file photo]

From The Times:

The board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority voted [today] to raise the base fare on subways and buses by a quarter, to $2.75, and the cost of a 30-day MetroCard by $4.50, to $116.50.

The new fares, which will take effect on March 22, were part of a package of increases approved for the system’s trains, buses, tunnels and bridges.

Read the whole article here.

City Comptroller audit finds poor maintenance and shoddy oversight of the Citi Bike program

[File photo from Tompkins Square Park by Derek Berg]

We get press releases! Via the EVG inbox...

New York City Bike Share (NYCBS), the operator of the Citi Bike program, failed to both adequately inspect Citi Bike equipment and ensure stations were fully functional according to an audit of NYCBS’s compliance with its contract with the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) released today by New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer.

“New York City Bike Share’s management of Citi Bike left too many New Yorkers in the lurch,” Comptroller Stringer said. “While Citi Bike has become part of our urban landscape, auditors found that the bike sharing program’s spotty maintenance, poorly cleaned bikes and substandard docking stations inconvenienced riders and discouraged growth in the system. Moving forward, I hope that these findings will provide a road map for ways to improve safety and performance for this critical component of our transportation network.”

The Comptroller’s audit examined maintenance of Citi Bike equipment by NYCBS during the period of May 2013 through May 2014. The Citi Bike program has a fleet of approximately 6,000 bikes and 330 stations throughout the City. Bikeshare Holdings LLC recently announced an agreement to purchase Alta Bicycle Share — the parent company of NYCBS. With a promised infusion of additional capital, Bikeshare Holdings has announced plans to improve maintenance and double the size and geographic reach of the Citi Bike system by 2017.

According to NYCBS’s own maintenance data, 28 percent of bikes system-wide were inspected in November 2013, 34 percent in December 2013 and 38 percent in January 2014, despite contract requirements that 100 percent of bikes undergo a complete maintenance check at least once per month. NYCBS cited the layoff of 16 on-street bike checkers during the winter months as a reason behind the decline in maintenance checks.

By March 2014, following the re-hiring of inspectors, inspections rose to 54 percent of the fleet and to 73 percent by April. However, a sample of the maintenance records of 25 bikes from July 2013 through December 2013 found that NYCBS completed only 60 percent (84 of 141) of required monthly maintenance checks.

Citi Bike is expanding, upping price of annual memberships

[Photo yesterday by Derek Berg]

Via the Citi Bike blog...

Today, we and the NYC Department of Transportation announced some big changes. Our parent company has new owners, and they have named Jay Walder, a leader with a deep passion for urban transportation, as the new CEO of Alta Bicycle Share.

There is also big news for Citi Bike. Our system will double in size by 2017. New neighborhoods will be added to our system beginning in 2015. By the end of 2017 we will have 6,000 additional bikes and over 375 new stations. The first new stations will be installed in northern Williamsburg, Greenpoint, Long Island City and further into Bedford-Stuyvesant, all neighborhoods originally planned to be part of Citi Bike’s initial deployment. If you would like to suggest a new location for Citi Bike stations, visit the Department of Transportations’s “Suggest A Station” siting portal here.

NYC Bike Share will use this winter season to overhaul the entire fleet of bikes and service docks and kiosks, ensuring that Citi Bike is ready to roll come spring. We will work closely with the team at Alta Bicycle Share to improve our operations and the technology that powers bike share.

Finally, we will be changing Citi Bike’s membership plans. Our Annual Membership rate will change to $149/year. This means a full year of unlimited Citi Bike rides will cost just a bit more than one monthly MetroCard.

At this time, you may still sign up for a new membership or renew an existing subscription at the current $95 rate. We will let you know in the coming days when the rates will increase.

H/T Stephen Popkin

Comptroller: City is losing the rat race

[A rat maze in Tompkins Square Park via Scuba Diva]

Via the EVG inbox yesterday...

At a press conference today in Harlem, New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer unveiled findings of a new audit showing widespread deficiencies in the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s (DOHMH) response to citizen complaints about rodents.

“This is a rat race we’re all losing and it’s one that affects our quality of life,” Comptroller Stringer said. “When people discover infestations in their homes and on their blocks, they expect a quick and effective response. Our audit found that the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene wasn’t managing its pest control program effectively, even as the number of complaints about pests grew.”

The number of pest complaints in New York City jumped from 22,300 in 2012 to 24,586 in 2013. Comptroller Stringer’s audit examined whether one of the agencies primarily responsible for pest control, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, adequately followed its procedures for addressing pest control complaints during the period from July 1, 2011 through April 8, 2014.

DOHMH receives pest complaints online and through New York City’s 311 complaint call system, which are then assigned to one of five regional offices for inspection and notification, as well as the baiting and clean-up of properties if owners fail to act.

Auditors found DOHMH had weak oversight of its Pest Control Services program and failed to follow its own procedures:

• In 24 percent of the cases examined, DOHMH failed to check out citizen complaints in the 10-day target that it has established as the proper time in which to respond;

• In 160 cases, there was no field inspection attempt at all and 14 still had an open status in DOHMH’s system as of March 2014;

• There was no indication that assessments were conducted in 44 percent of 386 instances where inspectors requested clean up services during FY13, a required step before remediation can proceed; and

• DOHMH failed to give some property owners notifications of city orders to eliminate rodent conditions – thus increasing the risk that rat infestations may spread through a neighborhood.

“Rats are a daily, stomach-turning insult to New Yorkers — whether they’re scurrying over people’s feet on the sidewalks, invading homes where children sleep or swarming through restaurants,” Stringer said. “Without a vigilant and timely response by the City to citizen complaints, this problem will come back to bite us again and again.”

As NPR reported in August, the East Village will be one of the testing grounds for the city's new "rat reservoir pilot" — an initiative to try to reduce the rat population in neighborhoods with chronic infestations.

The Villager has a follow-up on this initiative here.

1 year later, 7-Eleven asks for more time to move noisy refrigeration units from residential windows

[File photo via the No 7-Eleven Blog]

7-Eleven representatives appeared yesterday before the Environmental Control Board to discuss the ongoing issues with the store's Avenue A refrigeration unit that has caused sleepless nights for nearby neighbors these past 12-plus months.

And the result of this? According to DNAinfo:

At the hearing, a judge granted a two-week adjournment after a 7-Eleven representative said the franchise was entering into a contract to have the equipment moved. The judge gave 7-Eleven two weeks to submit a signed contract to show that the units would be placed elsewhere, he said.

Meanwhile, the building's landlord at Avenue A and East 11th Street, the Jared Kushner-owned Westminster City Living, put the blame directly on 7-Eleven. A Westminster spokesperson told DNA in a statement that they have been trying to meet with 7-Eleven for eight months.

“We completely agree with local residents. The units installed and owned by 7-Eleven need to be moved, and we’re working to make sure it happens,” the spokesman said in a statement.

There wasn't any comment from 7-Eleven reps.

You can read more about this at WABC and WCBS.

Previously on EV Grieve:
3 new AC units at incoming 7-Eleven prompts Partial Stop Work Order

A WHOOSHING AC unit update: 'We are roundly being ignored by 7-Eleven and Westminster NYC'

Report: 7-Eleven's AC units have forced residents from their bedrooms on Avenue A & East 11th St.

Local pols blast 7-Eleven for blocking order to remove noisy refrigeration unit at 170 Avenue A

Local pols blast 7-Eleven for blocking order to remove noisy refrigeration unit at 170 Avenue A

[File photo via the No 7-Eleven Blog]

From the EVG inbox yesterday afternoon…

Today, a group of elected officials and community groups blasted 7-Eleven for being a bad neighbor and demanded they drop the October 7, 2014 appeal of a Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) order to cease using a noisy ground-level refrigeration unit in the East Village. The refrigeration unit at 7-Eleven’s 170 Avenue A store has been tormenting neighbors for over a year and violates the City’s noise code.

Since the refrigeration unit was installed in September 2013, residents of adjoining 502 East 11th Street have been driven from their bedrooms by the unit’s constant grinding, clicking and vibrating. Residents have secured multiple DEP noise violations against 7-Eleven, which culminated in the agency issuing a cease and desist order for the unit last month. 7-Eleven has chosen to fight the order at the City’s Environmental Control Board rather than fixing or disabling the offending unit.

Senator Hoylman (D, WFP – Manhattan) said: “This is an outrage. It’s like living in a wind tunnel. Neighbors can’t get a good night’s sleep thanks to 7-Eleven and its noisy refrigeration unit at 170 Avenue A. I demand 7-Eleven to fix or disable the refrigeration unit and drop their appeal immediately.”

Hoylman continued: “This case is a perfect example of how the incursion of franchises like 7-Eleven have hurt the quality of life in the East Village. It’s sad they can’t be trusted to be good neighbors.”

Council Member Rosie Mendez said: "Since NYC is a city that never sleeps, 7-Eleven believes that translates into the fact that it can disrupt its neighbors quality of life of 24/7. If 7-Eleven wants to operate a 24 hour business in NYC and in our community, then act like good neighbors by dropping the appeal and fixing the HVAC unit that is located only 2-3 feet from the rear windows."

Maria Rosenblum, a resident of 502 East 11th Street, said: “Having this refrigeration unit next to my apartment windows has been a living a nightmare. The constant noise and vibrations prevents our daughter from doing her homework and prevents me from doing my own work; I'm a freelance film editor and I work from home. At night we all have trouble sleeping and have had to all camp out on the floor of our living room, my husband, daughter and I. We have all been uprooted and our bedrooms are useless. 7-Eleven is destroying my home, my neighbors’ homes and our neighborhood.”

Gigi Li, Chair of Community Board 3, said: “Community Board 3 thanks Senator Hoylman for working with residents and the Community Board for almost a year to try to remedy this illegal installation that has been a nightmare for the neighbors. 7-Eleven has shown blatant disregard for their negative impact on neighbors by appealing the cease and desist order. They have moved into our community without concern of being a good neighbor and contributing to our community.”

Previously on EV Grieve:
3 new AC units at incoming 7-Eleven prompts Partial Stop Work Order

A WHOOSHING AC unit update: 'We are roundly being ignored by 7-Eleven and Westminster NYC'

Report: 7-Eleven's AC units have forced residents from their bedrooms on Avenue A & East 11th St.

Brazilia Café now serving 'all things gourmet' on Broadway and Great Jones

Reps from Brazilia Café sent us some info on the new upscale food courty place from the folks who designed Eataly. From the EVG inbox...

Located at 684 Broadway (at the corner of Great Jones), Brazilia Café is a one-stop destination offering all things gourmet, from perfectly roasted coffees (sourced from their own coffee farm), to freshly squeezed juices and a smoothie bar for all of your beverage needs. They even offer beer, wine and champagne for those looking to take the edge off after a long day at work. Stop by the soups, salad and sandwich station, or satisfy your sweet tooth with one of the many flavors of Brazilia gelato or pastries.

Also!

Malcolm Stogo (CEO of Fal Foods USA — a subsidiary of Fal Holdings) and his very experienced management team carefully considered every element of the menu to make sure Brazilia delivers that “WOW” factor.

Stogo is behind the DF Mavens opening on St. Mark's Place and Second Avenue.

Gothamist had more details about Brazilia Café yesterday.

The East Village will be testing ground for a 'rat reservoir pilot'

[EVG file photo]

From NPR:

When Caroline Bragdon, a rat expert with the city's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, walks through the East Village, she's not looking at the people or the storefronts. Her eyes point down, at the place where the sidewalk meets the buildings and the street. "If you look really carefully, you can even see their hairs," Bragdon says, pointing to a little hole in the sidewalk next to a sewer grate. "When we see something like this, what we say to each other is, 'This catch basin is hot.' You know, 'This is ratty.' "

By that measure, this is one of the hottest neighborhoods in New York City. And it's one of the testing grounds for the city's new "rat reservoir pilot" — an initiative to try to reduce the rat population in neighborhoods with chronic infestations. Part of the plan is to hire extra exterminators and to seal up holes in sidewalks, parks and other public infrastructure. Rats can squeeze through the tiniest opening "in doors, in windows, in sidewalk curbs, in any building infrastructure," says Bragdon. "Rats only need a hole or a gap the size of a quarter to enter."

Woo! Maybe we can think of some other 'reservoir pilots' for the neighborhood!

Read/listen to the full report here.

H/T EVG reader Andréa

Horse Trade Theater Group becoming Frigid New York

[EVG file photo]

We get news releases! From the EVG inbox...

After 16 years as a for-profit producing organization Horse Trade Theater Group will merge into FRIGID New York. Horse Trade will still operate as a venue manager for The Kraine Theater at 85 East 4th Street and UNDER St. Marks at 94 St. Marks Place, but all in-house productions, festivals, and the Resident Artist Program will now be presented by the nonprofit organization FRIGID New York, producers of the annual FRIGID Festival.

"After many years producing indie theatre we've found that we can offer our artists more opportunities as a nonprofit organization” said Managing Director Erez Ziv. “This will also allow us to consolidate our programming, and invest more in each production. We're very excited for what the future holds."

FRIGID New York’s 2014/2015 season will include RadioTheatre’s HP Lovecraft Festival, Clay McLeod Chapman’s The Pumpkin Pie Show, new resident artists The Battalion, The Drafts play reading series, Gotham Storytelling Festival, the Winter Burlesque Blitz, The Fire This Time Festival, the FRIGID Festival, the first annual LGBT Festival, Downunder Improv Festival, and monthly residents Stand Up and Take Your Clothes Off, Sketch Block, Thank You Robot, Adam Wade, The Wasabassco Hellfire Club, Naked Girls Reading, Open Mic Downstairs, Ten-Foot Rat Cabaret, Cabaret Showdown, Radical Vaudeville, and The History of Beer.

More about Insomnia Cookie's East Village arrival

We noted yesterday that Insomnia Cookies will be opening an outpost in the East Village soon … Insomnia reps sent along the news release …

The late-April opening of Insomnia Cookies in New York City’s East Village will be the seventh New York location for the late night bakery which has become a favorite among New Yorkers over the past seven years.

“We are thrilled to open our seventh bakery in New York City” said Seth Berkowitz, CEO of Insomnia Cookies. “New York is our home and we take pride in serving our neighbors warm and delicious cookies.”

The new location will deliver to residents of the East Village, broadening Insomnia Cookies’ delivery radius to cover the entire East side of Manhattan from E. 96th to Houston Street.

In honor of the company’s official grand opening, they will serve a free cookie to all customers presenting a free cookie coupon in store. For more information, opening details and for a free cookie coupon, visit the Insomnia Cookies Facebook page.

Insomnia will be taking over the storefront at 299 E. 11th St. just east of Second Avenue. The space was previously a dry cleaners (and maybe briefly a winebar???).

More details on DF Mavens, opening next spring on Second Avenue and St. Mark's Place

As we first reported back on Oct. 17, that prime northwest corner space on Second Avenue and St. Mark's Place has a new tenant — a retail outpost of DF Mavens...

And yesterday, the DFM folks sent along the official news release about this outpost...

Situated on a prime block at the corner of Second Avenue, DF Mavens’ flagship store will open in the spring of 2014 and showcase the brand’s award-winning line of dairy-free ice creams. The store will feature a wide range of vegan snack and beverages, including a full line of baked goods, fresh juices and coffee.

“We’re very excited to open our first dedicated storefront and plant our flag in the vibrant East Village food scene,” states Malcolm Stogo, a world-renowned ice cream consultant and founder of DF Mavens. “Our new retail outpost will allow us to bring delicious, dairy-free ice cream to a greater segment of New Yorkers who want vegan-friendly dessert options in time for the warm weather.”

DF Mavens also announces that four of its pint-sized non-dairy ice creams are now being carried in Whole Foods Markets at Union Square, Columbus Circle, Bowery and Tribeca. These flavors include: Shot of Java, New Orleans Salted Praline, Del Lago Chocolate and Key Lime Pie.

DF Mavens pint-sized offerings include 9 flavors that feature the highest quality ingredients and are categorized by soy-based, coconut-based or sugar-free varieties. Designed to taste as good as any cream-based formula, each flavor is handcrafted by Stogo himself, who has consulted on brands like Haagen Dazs, Stonyfield’s Frozen Yogurt and Colombo.

As you may recall, Stogo, the vegan ice cream shop on East 10th Street just west of Second Avenue, closed for business in November 2012.

Stogo opened in December 2008 at the site of the beloved A. Fontana Shoe Repair, forced out after 45 years due to a big rent hike.

Report: the number of chain stores decreased slightly this past year in zip 10003

From the EVG inbox yesterday …

The Center for an Urban Future [has] published the sixth edition of its annual “State of the Chains” study ranking the national retailers with the most store locations in New York City. The study shows that the expansion of chain stores across the city slowed considerably over the past year, even as Dunkin Donuts recently became the first national retailer with more than 500 stores across the five boroughs.

The report reveals that there was only a 0.5 percent increase in the number of national retail locations in New York City between 2012 and 2013, the smallest year-over-year increase since we began compiling data on the city’s national retailers in 2008—and down from a 2.4 percent gain between 2011 and 2012. Two boroughs — Manhattan and Queens — actually experienced a decline in the number of chain stores between 2012 and 2013. Overall, the 302 national retailers that were listed on last year’s ranking expanded their footprint in New York City from a total of 7,190 stores in 2012 to 7,226 stores in 2013, a 0.5 percent increase. This marks the sixth straight year there has been a net increase in the number of national chain stores in the five boroughs.

For the sixth consecutive year, Dunkin Donuts tops our list as the largest national retailer in New York City, with a total of 515 stores. Over the past year, Dunkin Donuts had a net increase of 39 stores in the city (an 8 percent gain). Subway is still the second largest national retailer in the city, with 467 locations across the five boroughs. It had a net gain of 28 stores since last year (a 6 percent increase). Rounding out the top ten national retailers in New York are: Duane Reade/Walgreens (with 318 stores), Starbucks (283), MetroPCS (261), McDonalds (240), Baskin Robbins (202), Rite Aid (190), T-Mobile (161) and GNC (138).

There are now 15 retailers with more than 100 stores across the city, up from 14 last year. Over the past year, 7-Eleven became the latest retailer with at least 100 locations in New York; it expanded from 97 stores in 2012 to 124 today.

Starbucks has more stores in Manhattan than any other national retailer, with 212 locations. In each of the other boroughs, Dunkin Donuts tops the list — it has 154 stores in Queens, 123 in Brooklyn, 72 in the Bronx and 32 on Staten Island.

Among the retailers with the largest numerical growth over the past year:

• Dunkin Donuts: 515 locations, up from 476 in 2012
• Subway: 467 locations, up from 439 in 2012
• 7-Eleven: 124 locations, up from 97 in 2012
• Starbucks: 283 locations, up from 272 in 2012

Overall, the 10003 zip (which includes Union Square and parts of Fifth Avenue) has the third-most chain stores in the city, according to the report… however, with 170 national retailers, the number has decreased by 9 from last year. The Center reports 46 chain stores in zip code 10002 this year, up from 36 in 2012.


[Click on image to enlarge]

Find the full report here.

Today in posts about turkey-stuffed donuts

From the EVG inbox...

NEW YORK, Nov. 6, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Zucker Bakery in the East Village (433 E. 9th St.) today unveiled a limited series of gourmet turkey-stuffed donuts to celebrate Thanksgivukkah – the convergence of Thanksgiving and Hanukkah, happening for the first time in over 100 years this November. The donuts will come in four flavors, ranging from savory to sweet:

• Spiced pumpkin donut with TURKEY and GRAVY filling ($5)
• Spiced pumpkin donut with TURKEY and CRANBERRY filling ($5)
• Spiced pumpkin donut with CRANBERRY SAUCE filling ($3.50)
• Sweet potato donut with TOASTED MARSHMALLOW cream filling ($4)

Now on sale through the end of the year...

Nicknamed "stuff-ganiyot" — a play on the Hebrew word for donuts, suffganiyot (suf-gan-ee-oat) — the donuts are the brainchild of Zucker Bakery founder Yaniv Zohar and friend Gil Levy of ECommerce Partners, the web firm that designed and launched the bakery's e-commerce website.

Get free samples of these Thanksgivukkah-inspired donuts on Friday, November 8 between 4-6 PM at Zucker Bakery.