Why (some) people aren't wearing shoes now in Tompkins Square Park

As this photo by EVG regular Steve Carter shows, it's One Day Without Shoes...

Per the ODWS site:

One Day Without Shoes is our day to bring global awareness to children's health and education by going without shoes.

NYPD looking for suspect who groped 9-year-old girl in the East Village Sunday afternoon

The NYPD released the above sketch of a man who allegedly groped a 9-year-old girl on the buttocks about 4:45 p.m. within the 9th Precinct, DNAinfo reported. (Police did not divulge the location of the incident.

Per the report:

The suspect is believed to be in his 30s or 40s, weighs about 240 pounds, and is approximately 5-foot-9-inches tall, police said. He is described as having black hair with grey streaks, cops said. He was last seen wearing blue long-sleeve shirt, dark jeans, and white metal wire-rimmed glasses.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS (8477).

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)

Don't fuck with Joe

Workers erected a sidewalk shed around 112 Avenue A at East Seventh Street yesterday... look for the construction netting to go up today... DOB permits point to "facade repair" on the building.



And, hopefully, the Joe Strummer mural will come out of this unscathed...



Previously on EV Grieve:
Joe Strummer gets a splash of Niagara

Joe Strummer gets a new look, skyline

[Updated] Joe Strummer would have been 60 today

Maiden Lane hopes to open by the end of the week for lunch service

Over on East 10th Street and Avenue B, renovations are complete at the former Life Cafe space. The partners, East Village residents Nialls Fallon and Gareth Maccubbin, showed the space off Sunday afternoon to friends and family as a way to celebrate the end of the construction. (Gammablog was there, and has photos of the interior.)



The cafe is called Maiden Lane. Per Eater, they plan to serve a regionally sourced food menu. (CB3 OK'd a beer-wine license for them in October.)

We asked Fallon for an update.

"We are waiting on inspections and hope to open by the end of the week for daytime cafe service. Wine and beer license to arrive soon and then we will open for evening service."

The two partners have ample restaurant experience at two popular Mulberry Street eateries. Fallon was the general manager at Torrisi while Maccubbin held the same position at Torrisi spinoff Parm next door.

This is what Fallon told us about leasing this space last fall:

"We decided on the space for two reasons, the first being we didn't want to see the 7-Eleven-Starbucks scenario you mentioned happen there. Second, we wanted to be in an iconic space that carried on some form of community identity and East Village-ness. I am excited to create something new and make sure that the corner remains owned and operated by locals."

Previously on EV Grieve:
Maiden Lane coming to East 10th Street and Avenue B

Here's what's coming to the former Life Cafe space

After 30 years, Life Cafe closes — 'until further notice' — in the East Village

[Photos Sunday by Bobby Williams]

Going Hollywood on East First Street

What, you expecting Daniel Craig?

Hollywood Nail and Spa has taken over the space of the former Cozy Lounge, the hookah bar that the Marshal seized last summer here on East First Street near Avenue A.

And they are offering a Grand Opening mani-pedi special for $20.

Gandhi is apparently leaking gas on East Sixth Street

Gandhi, an old-timer (circa 1984) on East Sixth Street, is currently closed... Shawn Chittle noted the sign on the door say that they have "gas leaking."



This happens to coincide with a visit last week by the DOH ... whose inspectors dropped 57 violation points on them, including: "Food Protection Certificate not held by supervisor of food operations," according to the DOH website.

Vella Market is now open in former Kate's Joint space

On Saturday morning, we spotted workers removing the plywood around the new market opening on East Fourth Street and Avenue B...





Anyway, meant to note that Vella Market is now open... we first got word of the new market last July.



Our friends at MoRUS also sent along a few photos from last evening...







The previous tenant, Kate's Joint, the 16-year-old vegetarian eatery, closed about this time last year.

Anyone try Vella yet? A former manager of Gracefully on Avenue A is running the place, a neighbor noted...

Previously on EV Grieve:
Reader report: Organic market taking over former Kate's Joint space

For rent signs going up at Kate's Joint; and here come the Starbucks rumors

Marshal seizes Kate's Joint

Report: Boukiés owner sues State Liquor Authority

Christos Valtzoglou, the owner of Boukiés (try the Spanakotyropitakia!) on Second Avenue and East Second Street, is suing the State Liquor Authority over an "illegal agreement" with Community Board 3, DNAinfo reported today.

Per the article:

[T]he SLA's decision not to grant a full liquor license to Christos Valtzoglou’s East Village restaurant Boukiés was based on an agreement between Community Board 3 and Valtzoglou that the board did not have the authority to make.

It's a little complicated, and dates back to when Valtzoglou could only get approval for beer-wine for his well-received but short-lived Heartbreak Cafe at the same address.

Also from the article.

Susan Stetzer, District Manager of CB3, appeared at the meeting to voice opposition to Valtzoglou’s application, according to legal documents alleging the board was interested more in asserting its power than in acting in the community interest.

“CB3 was motivated more by its interest in keeping its authority intact rather than representing the interests of its community members,” according to the lawsuit.

Boukiés opened almost one year ago to this date. Stetzer said that she was unaware of the lawsuit and declined to comment to DNAinfo.

Read the whole article here.

Report: Former PS 64 one step closer to becoming a 500-bed dorm for multiple NYC colleges

[Last October on East Ninth Street]

The former P.S. 64 and CHARAS/El Bohio community center on East Ninth Street will house students from several New York colleges, The Wall Street Journal reported today.

University House will be home to 500 co-eds, with Cooper Union already signing a 15-year agreement for 200 of the beds.

Developer Gregg Singer said that he "expects rents to be about $1,550
per month per bed," according to the Journal.

Singer said that the renovations will cost nearly $40 million. Amenities of the University House will include a health center, private study rooms and a fitness center.

The brief appears on page A22 today. We did not spot the article online. Find the article here.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Will old PS 64 get a theater for nonprofit groups?

Rebranded P.S. 64 up for grabs: Please welcome University House at Tompkins Square Park to the neighborhood

Deed for 'community facility use only' at the former P.S. 64 now on the market

Reader report: East Village tenants taking Kushner Companies to housing court

[March 27]

Several residents of one of the walkups that the Kushner Companies purchased earlier this year submitted the following post...

The Kushner Companies officially took over control of the 17 buildings on the LES that Ben Shaoul owned for 3-plus years. For the 2 months that followed the change of ownership, Jared Kushner's company failed to provide basic services like heat, hot water and a locked front door. The tenants filed an HP Action against Kushner and are taking him to Housing Court this week.

In the past 2-3 months under new ownership, the daily lives of the tenants in the building have been a living hell. Clearly, their focus is on getting the $35,000/month 7-11 in on the ground floor without a care for the well-being of the tenants.

The issues in the HP Action include:

1. No Heat/Hot Water: No heat & hot water on a regular basis, even during the coldest weeks of winter when the outside temp was 16F. The culmination of which was a month ago when it was 25F outside and the tenants in the building repeatedly called the building manager and the super, who ignored the requests from Friday evening until Sunday afternoon. Temps inside fell below 45F and the tenants who stayed were sleeping fully clothed with jackets on. In addition to the heat being off completely, the boiler is now on a timer so the heat came on only twice per day leaving the building cold (below the legally mandated inside temperature) and the hot water being lukewarm at best.

2. Malfunctioning Heating System: terrible clanking of the pipes when the heat goes on, which makes sleeping through the night impossible. There were tenants who stayed with friends and relatives b/c even with ear plugs, they couldn’t fall asleep and stay asleep through the night.

3. Cracked Walls/Structural Damage: cracks in the walls of apartments on ever floor due to shoddy contractor work in the soon-to-be 7-11 space in the first floor. The company has since fired the contractors and the work has no resumed because of the HP Action.




4. Unlocked Main Entrance: front door electric key system failing randomly with no apparent reason from 1 day to 7 days locking tenants outside or inside of the building and leaving the building unsafe with the front door unlocked at all times. Tenants had to call 911 and have the NYPD come on Tuesday night several weeks back as the front door was wide open and a man was trying to get into apartments at 3:30 AM.

5. Smoke Detector Removal: the contractors disconnected and removed smoke detectors in the hallways as the dust was setting them off saying they had it approved by the FDNY so it’s perfectly legal.



6. Low Water Pressure: extremely low water pressure in faucets and showers throughout the building.

7. Illegal After Hours Work: Contractors working after hours (8 AM on Saturday), blocking hallways, blocking doorways and doing work that created so much dust and debris that DOB ordered that they cover apartment doors to protect residents.



8. Unavailable Super: super has rarely been available to solve maintenance problems (they only hired 1 super for 17 buildings and he doesn’t live in Manhattan), and never available after 4 PM or on the weekends. Emergency contact provided did not work.

9. Filthy Hallways/Entrance: hallways and entrance have not been cleaned on a regular basis in months. The stairwells of the building are disgusting.

The residents said that there were discussions of a rent abatement, but that never materialized.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: Jared Kushner paid $49 million for 7 more Ben Shaoul-owned properties in the East Village

More about Jared Kushner's East Village buying spree

Something Sweet still looking for help to revive its beloved business

Last month, we posted information about the owners of Something Sweet looking for help to revive the longtime bakery on First Avenue and East 11th Street. The owners contacted us this past weekend, saying that they were still looking for help with a revival. There was some interest after the last posting.

"Yes, we got lots of emails. However, none really worked out," they said. "Some were just curious, some wanted to partner or so without funds."

You can read more about the bakery and its history at at DNAinfo. From that article:

"To me it was old Europe," said Anna, a customer of 40 years ... "I always said when that [Something Sweet] closes, it's over for the East Village."