Come out to support the tenants of 642 E. 14th St., displaced by the Madison Reality Capital development next door

Tenants and local elected officials today will be holding a rally outside 642 E. 14th St., which was abruptly vacated after ongoing excavation on a Madison Reality Capital-owned 24-story development next door on the SE corner of Avenue C destabilized the building. (We were the first media outlet to report on the situation.) 

The city gave tenants a short time on Nov. 28 to vacate the premises. The Red Cross put tenants up in a Chinatown hotel just through Dec. 3. We've heard from tenants staying with friends... and we understand others are now in shelters. (Read about the Dawod-Hemeida family here.) 

With the support of elected officials and the Cooper Square Committee, the tenants will be asking for temporary housing until they are allowed back into their homes. 

Today's rally starts at 12:30 p.m. outside 642 E. 14th St. near Avenue C.

And the photos below are from Sunday... showing the now-vacant building ... and the pit next door...

First on EV Grieve:

Residents ordered to vacate after excavation next door destabilized this 14th Street building

A rally this morning to speak out about the pending closure of Mount Sinai Beth Israel

Local community advocates and elected officials are gathering this morning to speak out against Mount Sinai's announcement to close their Beth Israel facility on First Avenue at 16th Street. 

Per the invite: 

The decision comes suddenly as the public was alerted in the last three weeks that the hospital would close by summer 2024. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic’s wider exposure of systemic inequities in New York City's health care system, particularly in regard to the increasingly low levels of inpatient beds provided to under-served communities, the community is rallying to demand the availability of services. 

With the closure of Mount Sinai Beth Israel, there will be one hospital south of 23rd Street, an area that has a population of 400,000 people. Councilmember Rivera will lead a rally letting Mt. Sinai know that we need our hospital! 

The rally starts at 11 a.m. today (Dec. 14) on the NW corner of 17th Street and First Avenue.

As previously reported, there's a pending July 12, 2024, closing date on the books. In October, officials reportedly notified state regulators — who must sign off on their plans — of their request to shutter the 799-bed teaching hospital.  

Wednesday's parting calamari shots

Photos by Peter Brownscombe

Ray recently (re)introduced breaded calamari rings — served with fries, as the paper-plate signage notes...

Ray's Candy Store, 113 Avenue A near Seventh Street, yes.

EVG Etc.: Jesse Malin continues rehab after spinal cord stroke; Foul Witch serves 'voluptuous food'

Photo on Second Avenue by Derek Berg 

• Police searching for a suspect who broke into a woman's apartment near 11th and A and climbed into bed with her (ABC 7 ... The Post) 

• Following a spinal cord stroke in June, East Village musician and bar owner Jesse Malin is undergoing daily stem-cell treatments at a clinic in Buenos Aires along with intensive physical therapy (Rolling Stone... Brooklyn Vegan ... American Songwriter) 

• Tracking NYC's record-high homeless shelter population (City Limits) 

• DOT adds more rush hour vehicle capacity to attempt to ease congestion approaching the Williamsburg Bridge (Streetsblog) 

• Some landlords are renting rent-stabilized units at market-rate prices (The City)

• If you want to oppose a 5G tower at 184 E. Seventh St. at Avenue B (Village Preservation) 

• A visit to Monkey Thrift Shop Upcycling, which recently opened on Ninth Street near Avenue A (NBC New York) 

• Frigid NYC is underway at the Kraine Theater and Under St. Marks (Official site) 

• On Avenue A, Foul Witch serves "voluptuous food in a scrappy space" (The New Yorker) 

• Crowds are flocking to Tokuyamatcha & Onigirazu for the rice sandwiches on Sixth Street between Avenue B and Avenue C (Eater) 

• Max Wolf Friedlich’s "Job" will get an Off-Broadway run at the the Connelly Theater on Fourth Street from Jan. 19 through March 3 (The Hollywood Reporter)

• Romeo's is a new cocktail bar in the former St. Dymphna's space at 118 St. Mark's Place (Time Out) 

• Classics playing on Dec. 18 at the Village East by Angelika — "The Apartment" and "White Christmas"

• Why NYC Christmas trees are so expensive (Gothamist)

• A topic of interest: The U.S. shoplifting scourge is a lot of hype with little evidence (CNN) 

Landmarks Preservation Commission approves hotel project that could potentially damage the city's oldest residential landmark

EVG file photo

The Landmarks Preservation Commission voted yesterday to approve an 8-story hotel next door to the landmarked Merchant's House Museum on Fourth Street between the Bowery and Lafayette, prompting a dire response from museum officials. 

As we reported last week, the development firm Kalodop II Park Corp. has been trying to build the hotel for nearly 12 years; the project has been in limbo for the past three years.

In January 2019, the developers sued New York City, the City Council and Councilmember Carlina Rivera over rejecting their Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) application for the project. 

The developers have been seeking a spot rezoning to build an 8-story hotel on the site — higher than the current zoning allowed. The full City Council ultimately voted down the rezoning in September 2019. 

Preservationists, not to mention the leadership of Merchant's House, the circa-1832 building, were concerned that the construction could permanently damage the structure, one of only six residences in NYC that is both an exterior and an interior landmark. Local elected officials and Community Board 2 have all opposed the current application for the 8-story hotel. 

During yesterday's meeting, the LPC did not allow for testimony from the Merchant's House or their engineering team.

 The Merchant's House released this statement after yesterday's decision... 

[T]he LPC voted to approve the development next door to the Merchant's House, despite overwhelming and unanimous opposition from the community, preservation organizations, public officials and, of course, from the Merchant's House and our engineers and preservation architects. 

When asked, the developer's engineers admitted that they have no data about what standards are appropriate when dealing with historic decorative plaster. Further, none of the participants today was aware of the plaster study that confirmed irreparable damage will take place. 

The LPC mandated that certain standards relating to vibration monitoring be established. However, even the most state-of-the-art vibration monitoring systems only announce when the vibration limit has been reached — at which point the damage has already occurred. 

Today's vote by the LPC to greenlight a development that is certain to cause irreparable damage to the Merchant's House Museum is a warning to every other landmark in New York City. If the Merchant's House, one of New York's most treasured historical assets, can be subjected to adjacent construction that will destroy its historic fabric, then every landmark in New York City is at risk. 

This decision, even if reversed, will be a permanent stain on the Commission, which has failed in its existential duty to protect Manhattan’s first and New York City’s oldest residential landmark. The Merchant’s House Museum will take aggressive legal action to halt this unacceptable development. 

Thank you to all who wrote letters of support to the LPC and to those who were able to attend or listen to the meeting today. We couldn't do it without you.

You can donate to their legal fund here. (You can support them in other ways here.) You can watch a replay of the meeting here. The Merchant's House proposal starts at the 25-minute mark.

Local elected officials call out landlords renting to unlicensed cannabis shops

Image via Harvey Epstein's office 

Local elected officials came together yesterday to speak out against unlicensed cannabis shops in Lower Manhattan and call on landlords to stop renting to these businesses. 

Assemblymember Harvey Epstein, Councilmember Carlina Rivera and Sen. Brian Kavanagh gathered with community members outside Go Green Dispensary on the SE corner of 10th Street and First Avenue. Officials pointed out that this dispensary is close to multiple schools (East Side Community School and PS 19 East Village Community School) and the mosque on 11th Street and First Avenue. 

According to officials, legal cannabis dispensaries — licensed by the New York State Office of Cannabis Management — are prohibited from operating within 500 feet of a school or 200 feet of a religious institution.

As of August, a new city law that holds commercial landlords responsible for renting storefronts to unlicensed cannabis shops is in effect. 

Introduction 1001-B, known as Local Law 107 of 2023, prohibits owners of commercial spaces from knowingly leasing to unlicensed sellers of marijuana or tobacco products, imposing fines of up to $10,000 on landlords for violations. 

During the rally, Epstein announced that he was sending letters to the landlords of 22 shops stating their renters were selling cannabis illegally and advising them of their responsibilities under the law and penalties for failure to comply.

"Unlicensed cannabis shops are a threat to consumers, the legal market, and our entire community,” Epstein said. “As a supporter of the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act, I believe that the sale of cannabis should be used as an instrument of social justice, allowing individuals who have suffered the impact of criminalization to enter the market legally and receive priority status when applying for their licenses. Unlicensed shops like these perilously undermine that goal while also evading safety requirements and taxes."

Representatives from Housing Works Cannabis Co., NYC's first legal dispensary that opened last December on Broadway at Eighth Street, were also present to talk about the negative impact these businesses have on the legal market.

"Currently operated illegal cannabis businesses are supported by multiple out-of-state and international investors. These investors can afford to pay the fines and renegotiate terms for retail space," said Anthony Feliciano, vice president of the advocacy department at Housing Works. "Additionally, landlords repeatedly allow their commercial storefronts to be re-opened by either the same tenant or a new renter after being seized by the sheriff's department. We need more administrative mechanisms and legislation designed to get the landlord's attention."

Tuesday's parting shot

Photo by Derek Berg 

Celebrating Our Lady of Guadalupe today on Second Avenue...

Dates released for Mulchchella 2024, where the headliners are your Christmas trees

Photo by Steven 

The Parks Department knows it's never too early to start thinking about mulching your tree — maybe even before you buy one! 

MulchFest signage arrived yesterday in Tompkins Square Park announcing the dates for this season's Mulchchella — Jan. 6-7 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., where free mulch will be up for grabs. (Prediction! Soon, this event will be two weekends long!)

Anyway, you can now drag your tree to the area in the middle of the Park for the mulching (though technically the Parks Department says Dec. 26). Of course it's never too early (or late!) to discard a tree.

A bad sign at Numero 28 Pizzeria Napoletana

Photos by Steven

The Marshal has taken possession of the retail space at 176 Second Ave., home of Numero 28 Pizzeria Napoletana here between 11th Street and 12th Street.

The legal notice, dated yesterday, states that the landlord is now in possession of the storefront...

As always, this doesn't mean the end for the business.

However, in this case, the space has been listed for rent on LoopNet since mid-October. 

The pizzeria, with multiple NYC locations as well as in Miami Beach, Fla., and Austin, Texas, arrived in the East Village in 2009... taking over from Singas Famous Pizza. 

On the sales market: 180 1st Ave., home of the dual Michael Jackson murals

The five-story residential building on the SE corner of First Avenue and 11th Street recently arrived on the sales market.

There are actually two buildings here at 180 First Ave. (it extends east on 11th Street). The five-story mixed-use buildings contain three retail units (with an unlicensed weed shop in the corner space) and 14 residential units.

The Marcus and Millichap listing notes: "The free-market units were all recently gut renovated and finishes include brand new appliances, in-unit washer and dryers, dishwashers, high ceilings, tons of natural light, smart-lock entry and a video intercom system."

The asking price is $11.850 million.

There is no mention of the mural by Brazilian artist Eduardo Kobra showing Michael Jackson as a child and adult... which arrived here in July 2018. Kobra said he wouldn't paint over the mural after the early 2019 allegations in which two former child performers described how Jackson sexually abused them while they were children.