The former Nino's is for rent on Avenue A and St. Mark's Place

The for rent signs arrived Friday at the former pizzeria here on Avenue A and St. Mark's Place...



The listing isn't live just yet at the Jonis Realty site.

Perhaps then this means that the proposed cocktail bar-restaurant-grab-and-go-breakfast-place-co-working-freelance space The Honey Fitz is no longer in the works.

As you may recall, the proprietors, James Morrissey (The Late Late on East Houston) and Gerard McNamee (GM of Webster Hall), wanted to combine the empty Hop Devil Grill with Nino's for one large Honey Fitz. However, facing opposition from CB3 during the February SLA committee meeting, the proprietors withdrew their proposal. (BoweryBoogie covered the meeting here.)

The former Hop Devil space remains open... literally...



Maybe the Honey Fitz can work from just this space.

As for Nino's. The pizzeria had to close on Oct. 21 due to a gas leak in the building. On Nov. 17, Nino's received an eviction notice. Owner Nino Camaj had said that the gas was shut off in the building without any notice to him. In late November, Camaj's lawyers were reportedly in discussion with landlord Citi Urban Management to dispute the rent charged for the month during which they had to close due to the gas leak. Camaj still has 10 years left on his lease, and had been in court with the landlords.

But before the February CB3-SLA meeting, word came out that Camaj had accepted a low six-figure amount to walk away from his lease and surrender the space. The kitchen equipment was auctioned off on Feb. 22.

Nino's opened in 1989. (Nino sold the business in 2012, which produced a short-lived pizzeria. He returned and reopened Nino's in July 2013.)

Camaj told DNAinfo in February that he could no longer afford the $14,500 monthly rent. Camaj said that the rent for the corner space was $3,500 when he first opened.

Previously on EV Grieve:
The Honey Fitz in the works for St. Mark's Place and Avenue A (54 comments)

Gas leak closes Nino's for now

Nino's and Yoshi Sushi served with eviction notices on Avenue A

Encouraging signs at Nino's

Report: The Honey Fitz on hold; and RIP Nino's

Selling off Nino's

More details about the condos at 438 E. 12th St., now rising above grade along Avenue A

The rest of the new residential building has made its first appearance above the plywood along Avenue A between East 11th Street and East 12th Street.

The work on Douglas Steiner's luxury condo complex had been focused on East 12th Street...



And over the weekend, the Times provided a fairly fawning article on the six-story residential building with 82 units that took the place of the Mary Help of Christians complex.

About the outrage over the demolition of the church, Steiner, who lived in the East Village from 2005 to 2014 before moving to Williamsburg, simply said "I think there were a few loud voices."

Meantime, the article provided a few more details on the project (officially at 438 E. 12th St.)...

Such as!

In a neighborhood where condos are scarce and often small, the large L-shaped Steiner East Village takes its building amenities seriously. A 4,000-square-foot landscaped courtyard garden is overlooked by the swimming pool and library, which will be adorned with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and a marble fireplace. Residents can also relax on a planted 4,000-square-foot roof deck with views of the Empire State and Chrysler buildings.

The building will have a 10,000-square-foot storefront along Avenue A, where a playground for the church’s school used to host a popular flea market.

A 10,000-square foot storefront? (Grocery store? Gym? Bank? Drug store?)

And what happened to the rentals with inclusionary housing that were pitched to the community?

The project was delayed in part because plans changed. A luxury rental building with 160 units was originally envisioned for the site, but banks were reluctant to back it since it was an untested product for the area, Mr. Steiner said.

At the $206 million development, one-bedrooms start at about $1.1 million and the pièce de résistance — a four-bedroom unit with 1,364 square feet of terraces, is $11.25 million. Overall, prices here average $2,100 a square foot.

Previously on EV Grieve:
New residential complex at former Mary Help of Christians lot may include rooftop swimming pool

Meet your new neighbor on Avenue A

Permits filed to demolish Mary Help of Christians church, school and rectory

Preservationists call for archeological review of former cemetery at Mary Help of Christians site

The 'senseless shocking self-destruction' of Mary Help of Christians

Residences rising from the former Mary Help of Christians lot will now be market-rate condos

Ongoing construction at condoplex on Avenue A enters the swimming pool phase

Report: Developer Douglas Steiner lands $130 million loan for EV condo construction

Douglas Steiner's church-replacing condos emerge from the pit; plus new renderings

New sushi restaurant on 1st Avenue has portion sizes for men and women

Shin Bashi, the new Japanese restaurant at 85 First Ave. between East Fifth Street and East Sixth Street, is now officially open...

We don't know too much about the place just yet, other than – as their sidewalk sign shows — they feature portion sizes for men and women...


[Photo by Michael Hirsch]

Looks pretty much the same for men and women, other than the extra special roll for the gents, which accounts for the $4 price difference.

No word on a children's menu.

The Saving$ Paradise move is underway

As we noted back in February, the Saving$ Paradise at 250 E. 14th St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue is moving a few storefronts to the west.

That relocation of the housewares store is now on...





While the Paradise looks closed... I.Q. Decor appears to be still holding their closing sale... (but that barrel of mops looks like Paradise property...)



Or maybe they will combine the enterprises. Saving$ Decor could work. Or IQ Paradise.

Sidewalk bridge at 100 Avenue A looks so naked now without the naked, painted people

Something is different about the sidewalk bridge at 100 Avenue A along East Sixth Street and East Seventh Street...



No naked, painted people!

You remember...



The 100 Avenue A marketing motif disappeared this past Friday.

But, you can still find the remains of the marketing campaign at the temporary sales office for the condoplex at 115 Avenue A...



Previously on EV Grieve:
Wooing the condo crowd with naked women motif on Avenue A

The retail space at Ben Shaoul's 100 Avenue A is available for $24.5 million; plus, naked model marketing clarification!

Trying to figure out what is going on at 98-100 Avenue A

Part of the former Alphabets storefront will serve as sales office for Ben Shaoul's 100 Avenue A

Someone threw black paint bombs at the naked women condo ad along 100 Avenue A

Take a look at the inside of Ben Shaoul's condos at 100 Avenue A

100 Avenue A announces its incoming sales office with familiar naked, graffitied person motif

Eye Beauty Spa will soon be open on East 4th Street

And over at 199 E. Fourth St., signage arrived for the new tenant — Eye Beauty Spa...



The Spa will offer an array of services, including eyelash extensions, facials, waxing and permanent makeup, which is available for eyebrows, eyeliner and lips. They have a website here. (EVG correspondent Steven will test all these services.)

The location here between Avenue A and Avenue B housed Salon Champu until December 2014.

The growing scandal over 45 Rivington St.

[Aerial view of 45 Rivington via Google Maps]

On March 22, New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer launched an investigation into the de Blasio administration's decision to lift deed restrictions on the Rivington House at 45 Rivington St., a move that netted the nursing home operator, the Allure Group, a $72 million profit off the property's sale to condo developers.

In the days that followed, many more details emerged in the media, such as that James Capalino, a de Blasio friend and fund-raiser, had been lobbying for two years for the prior owner to have the deed restriction lifted. Capalino's firm earned a record $12.9 million lobbying City Hall in 2015, according to the Times.

The Allure Group had promised that 45 Rivington — the former Rivington Center for Nursing & Rehabilitation — would remain a health facility. In February 2015, Allure paid $28 million for the property. The deed was reportedly changed in exchange for the Allure Group's $16 million payment to the city.

Allure then reportedly quietly sold the property for $116 million to the the Slate Property Group, a condo developer (and Capalino client) who plans to create 100 luxury residences in the building that overlooks Sara S. Roosevelt Park on the Lower East Side.


[Via The Wall Street Journal]

Here are some developments about the sale and investigation from this past week...

TUESDAY

Op-ed — To catch a thief: Solution needed for de Blasio real estate deal whodunit (Daily News)

Op-ed — Why isn’t the mayor furious at this rancid deal? (New York Post)

WEDNESDAY

CB3 Sent Written Plea to Mayor on Rivington House Jan. 27 (The Lo-Down)

How New York Allowed Gentrification for $16 Million (The New York Times)

Two pols demand info on deal to turn Lower East Side nursing home into condos (Crain's)

THURSDAY

Nursing home deal, and City Hall response, raises questions (Politico New York)

And an excerpt from the Times article on Wednesday:

“I’m not happy that it happened,” Mr. de Blasio, a Democrat, told reporters on Monday. “I’m not happy about the fact that I didn’t hear about it in advance, before it became public.”

On Jan. 27, however, the local community board sent a letter to Mr. de Blasio requesting “information as to what transpired as to this transaction.” The letter was remarkably prescient; it warned that Rivington House could be converted into free-market housing, “as has been made possible by the lifting of the deed restriction.” The building was sold in February; city officials never responded to the letter, according to the community board, and Mr. de Blasio never saw it, said Karen Hinton, a spokeswoman for the mayor.

Today, the Post reports that, despite de Blasio's apparent anger over the sale, no one in his administration has taken the fall.

Also today, the Post reports that the Allure Group, "a cadre of young, seemingly disparate entrepreneurs," owes more than $6 million in back taxes on two properties in Brooklyn.

Previously on EV Grieve:
What next then for 45 Rivington St.?

Report: Developers buy former LES nursing facility for luxury housing

Week in Grieview

[Citi Bike to the rescue on A. Photo by Derek Berg]

Stories posted on EVG this past week included...

A Day of Remembrance (Monday)

Former Sock Man space to become an ice cream shop (Friday)

Plywood report and the future of 75 1st Ave. (Spoiler: condos) (Tuesday)

Report: Landlord Steve Croman owes the city over $1 million in unpaid code violations (Tuesday)

Pizzeria in the works for 8th and C (Friday)

Spring (Thursday)

Out and About with Jon R. Jewett (Wednesday)

Brazen Fox owners looking to open a bar-restaurant across the street (Monday)

Ess-A-Bagel eyeing a May opening now (Friday)

Bagel Belly opens (Saturday)

Report: Settlement reached with family of man stabbed to death at Barrier Free Living on East Second Street (Thursday)

Lack of gas stations downtown a concern (Tuesday)

There's a Vietnamese restaurant proposed for the former Luca Bar on St. Mark's Place (Thursday)

Report: Landlord Jared Kushner "treats both rent-stabilized and market-rate tenants badly" (Thursday)

Another local Equinox is on the way (Thursday)

Construction watch: Thirteen East + West (Wednesday)

This open-air home could use a home on Avenue B (Monday)

Brown and out on East 13th Street (Wednesday)

Confessional space for rent on East Sixth Street (Tuesday)

East Village Tobacco & Variety Shop is closing after 6 months on East Ninth Street (Monday)

Still living the dream on the Lower East Side (Wednesday)

Report: Coyote Ugly is now a global brand worth $80 million (Monday)

East Second Street gets milled (Tuesday)

... and save the last dance for Jerry and Beacon...


[Photo in Tompkins Square Park by Grant Shaffer]

St. Mark's Place in bloom

EVG reader Susan Schiffman shares this photo of St. Mark's Place between First Avenue and Second Avenue...

Stunt parking rules are now in effect on East 7th Street

[As previously noted via Derek Berg]

As previously noted, several motorists had the ability to capably maneuver an impressive shoehorn parking job between the dumpsters on East Seventh Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

Well, no more, stunt parkers... there is now some kind of rope fence in place...



This should help you...

Saturday ender

Thanks to Goggla for this shot...

7:10 p.m.

Photo this evening (7:10 p.m.!) by Bobby Williams