The rent is due at the incoming Turntable Retro Bar & Restaurant on Avenue B

[EVG photo from May]

Turntable Retro Bar & Restaurant, a sibling of the Flushing-based Mad For Chicken operation, has designs on a new location at 58 Avenue B (at East Fourth Street).

The space has gone under a major renovation since Vella Market closed here in October 2013.

Not sure of an opening date just yet. However, there does appear to be one possible glitch in all this — the rent is past due, according to the notice taped to the door that an EVG reader spotted…



The "Five Day Notice to Tenant" notes that the occupant owes more than $26,000 in rent. The notice, only just posted, is dated June 4.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Turntable Retro Bar & Restaurant ready to play on 4th and B

When it started raining earlier

Photo on Second Avenue by Derek Berg…

Now that rent regulation laws have expired (for the time being)

[Photo from June 9 by EVG reader Peter Brownscombe]

As you probably read, state lawmakers failed to strike a deal yesterday and let rent-control laws expire for some 2 million tenants.

Per The Wall Street Journal:

Senate President John Flanagan, a Long Island Republican, said the debate would likely stretch out until the end of the legislative session on Wednesday, since lawmakers don’t want to go home without a deal. “Given the fact that we’re [in Albany] for another 48 hours, we’re going to have further discussions,” he said Monday evening.

Mr. Flanagan dismissed concerns that chaos could ensue at midnight: “Do I think anything tumultuous or crazy is going to happen overnight? Absolutely not.”

In a news conference after the vote, Sen. Adriano Espaillat, a Manhattan Democrat, said “this is the Senate Republicans telling tenants in New York City to drop dead.”

Last night, the city sent out a letter signed by Vicki Been, commissioner, NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development:

If you are one of the more than two million New Yorkers who lives in rent-regulated housing, here's what you need to know:
• Your lease is still in effect and remains in effect through the term of the lease.
• There are still laws on the books protecting you from harassment, and the City is enforcing those laws.
• We have put together an emergency hotline: Call 311 if you have any concerns or questions about your apartment.
• If your landlord is harassing you, withholding services, or trying to exploit any lapse in the rent regulation laws to get you to leave your apartment, you should call 311 immediately.

If you are a landlord:
• Please know that the City is committed to protecting New Yorkers who live in rent-regulated units.
• If you have any questions about what information you should be sharing with your tenants, please call 311.
• Tenant harassment laws are still in effect. Any lapse in the rent regulation laws is not an excuse to withhold heat, hot water, or other services -- the City will enforce the housing code.

For more information on tenants' rights (in English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Russian, Haitian Creole, and Arabic), please go here

Gas leak shutters Dallas BBQ, leaves residents without hot water and cooking gas

Bad news at 37 1/2 St. Mark's Place. Con Ed has shut off gas service to the building, including Dallas BBQ, after discovering a gas leak in the basement here at Second Avenue.





A reader shared these photos, including this note to residents from Kenco Realty Management:

Due to an unexpected gas leak in the basement of our building, Con Edison has shut off the gas supply to the entire building. This is not good news. We tried our best to persuade them otherwise, but because of the explosion across the street, they err on the side of over caution.

And the timeline:

The bottom line is we do not expect to have the hot water restored for days. We do not expect the cooking gas restored for weeks.

Updated 1:30

Gothamist has a statement from a Dallas BBQ spokesperson:

"Unfortunately, the building our restaurant is located in on St. Marks had a scheduled plumbing inspection yesterday and did not pass with Con Ed. We are working to resolve the plumbing violations and pass an inspection as soon as possible. Hopefully, we will be open in the next few days, if not a couple weeks, but it is too soon to tell."

Report offers recommendations for preserving independent East Village businesses

[Image via the EVCC]

Via the EVG inbox…

The East Village Community Coalition (EVCC) announces the release of "Preserving Local, Independent Retail: Recommendations for Formula Retail Zoning in the East Village." The report analyzes the growing presence of chain stores, proposing a framework for limiting the expansion of formula retail.

Three possible methods of formula retail zoning are proposed within the report. These options — aimed at informing decisions by East Village policy makers — have been crafted using case studies, legal suggestions and pre­existing zoning frameworks from other parts of the country.

"As the trend toward homogenization progresses in New York, with respect to both the built environment and retail landscape, a timely solution is needed to preserve the individuality of the city’s neighborhoods," said Sara Romanoski, EVCC's managing director. "Placing restrictions on formula retail establishments via zoning amendments provides a path to preserving the rapidly changing East Village. An East Village Special District using the proposed framework will emphasize the importance and uniqueness of the community."

The full report (PDF!) is available for download here

Learn more about the proposal at the Preserving Local, Independent Retail Roundtable on Wednesday, June 24 from 6­-8 p.m. at Downtown Art, 61 E. Fourth St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery. ​Register to attend here.

A look at the new 179 Suffolk St.

Finally had the chance to take in 179 Suffolk St., the new 10-floor building at East Houston. (BoweryBoogie noted this last week.)

Anyway, here it is…





According to the DOB, there is 11,522 square feet for residential use … and 2,527 square feet for community facility space. (BoweryBoogie points out that this will equate six full-floor apartments and a duplex penthouse with the community space likely going to the previous tenant — Iglesia Pentecostal Arca de Salvacion.)

Meanwhile, 255 E. Houston St. remains empty next door … which previously housed the day-care center Action For Progress. They were displaced in the spring of 2010 when construction next door destabilized the building.



The playground out back sits neglected…





We're about five years in on this project, which has been plagued with various issues, as BoweryBoogie previously noted here.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Next for 255 E. Houston St.: Community facility/school/medical building?

10-story building in the works for Suffolk and East Houston

Live in tranquil cottages overlooking … 3rd Avenue (but still)

You've likely seen what looks like cottages atop the building that houses Kiehl's on the northeast corner of Third Avenue and 13th Street… now the penthouse home up there is for sale.

Here is the listing via Corcoran:

Own an iconic penthouse, featured in a number of publications for its unique rooftop cottages perched atop this historic boutique pre-war condominium. Penthouse 4CD is a breathtaking light-filled 1,972sf three bedroom, three bath duplex with four wood-burning fireplaces and two private garden terraces totaling 795sf.

This loft-like home features soaring 11’8” ceilings, exquisitely restored exposed brick, pristine hardwood oak floors, and carefully crafted carpentry throughout. Spanning nearly forty feet, with bright South and West exposures, the corner living and dining room are separated by a magnificent brick archway and bookended by two gracious wood-burning fireplaces.

An open kitchen features stainless steel appliances including Miele dishwasher and Wolf range, along with a dramatic Thermador vented range hood. Hand-painted Victorian-era aluminum casted balusters line the staircase leading up to the stunning master bedroom suite.

Enter this second level through the spectacular solarium, sun-flooded during the days and great for stargazing at night through its numerous skylights. This well-designed suite is complete with a spa-like master bath featuring a deep-soaking tub and separate steam shower, a windowed study/dressing area, and corner fireplace. The two spacious terraces flank the second level, the larger featuring an outdoor wood-burning fireplace, retractable awning, and four exposures with views of the Empire State Building. There is also a new irrigation system in place.

Price: $4.4 million.

And here are a few more photos via Corcoran…

'The great sandwich experiment' has ended at Lord Hamm's

An EVG tipster told us yesterday that Lord Hamm's has been rather closed looking the last few days at 226 E. Third St. between Avenue B and Avenue C. The phone number is also no longer is service.

We reached out to the Lord Hamm's folks via Twitter…

@evgrieve it's true, the great sandwich experiment of 015' has ended- thank you, that was fun! now what to do with all these Capri Suns...

— lord hamm's (@lordhamms) June 16, 2015

The small space just opened on April 5. New York magazine called proprietor Corey Cova an "an undersung sandwich genius."

The reader who told us about the possible closure was a Lord Hamm's fan, noting it was a "really great addition to the neighborhood."

Where the 'Girls' are today

Cast and crew of the HBO television series "Girls" will be filming around parts of the neighborhood today, if this is of interest… the above notice is on East 13th Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue… there are also notices posted on Second Avenue and parts of East 13th Street and East 12th Street… the show will be starting its fifth season.

Thanks to @cassidyfein for the photo!

Fire ants in the hole?

Crews are in Tompkins Square Park this morning whacking back/inspecting the elm tree near Temperance Fountain... the one that had a large branch come crashing down when the Park was closed late Saturday or early Sunday ...

EVG correspondent Derek Berg says that there is talk of fire ants (!) being the culprit here...



Workers will continue to give the tree a thorough exam.