City Planning Commission holding public hearing today on air-rights transfer for 3 St. Mark's Place

[EVG file photo]

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Updated 5 p.m.
Local City Councilmember Carlina Rivera came out against the transfer today.

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The City Planning Commission is holding a public hearing today on the application to transfer air rights to allow the pending office building at the northeast corner of Third Avenue and St. Mark's Place to grow 20 percent larger than the current zoning allows.

As you likely know, a 10-floor office building is in the works for 3 St. Mark's Place. The total size of this new building has yet to be officially determined. Real Estate Equities Corporation (REEC) wants to transfer the air rights from the landmarked Hamilton-Holly House at 4 St. Mark's Place to add more square footage.

This marks the second stage for the application. In round one, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to support the plan this past June, and issued a report to the City Planning Commission to allow the proposal under a specific zoning resolution. The opposition to the application included Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, State Sen. Brad Hoylman and Assemblymember Deborah Glick, as well as Community Board 3 and other community groups, including Village Preservation. (Read about their efforts here.)

Stage two's route as part of the city’s Uniform Land Use Review Procedure will ultimately end up before City Council, who will have the final vote at a future date.

REEC picked up the 99-year leasehold for the properties here for nearly $150 million in November 2017. Their development plans call for a 68,224-square-foot building with eight floors of office space, a fitness center, roof deck and retail.


[A rendering of 3 St. Mark's Place]

REEC is reportedly eyeing rents in the area of a Midtown-esque $150 per square foot.

Today's hearing is in the basement concourse of 120 Broadway between Cedar and Pine. The festivities start at 10, though this is the last item on the agenda. No word yet on an exact time.

Previously on EV Grieve:
• Demolition permits filed for northeast corner of 3rd Avenue and St. Mark's Place

• End is nearing for the businesses on the northeast corner of 3rd Avenue and St. Mark's Place

• New building plans revealed for 3rd Avenue and St. Mark's Place

• Concern over potential air-rights transfer for new office building on St. Mark's Place and 3rd Avenue

Real Estate's 'Outstore Thing' tour takes them to the former Kim's and Other Music this afternoon

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NYC you’ve got 4 chances to see us live on Wednesday afternoon! We wanted to tour our favorite record stores but 3 of them don’t exist anymore, so we’ll be playing outside of their old locations. It’s THE OUTSTORE THING. A proper in store at @RoughTradeNYC will follow at 7PM.⁣ ⁣ @Other_Music⁣ #RocksinYourHead⁣ #KimsVideo

A post shared by Real Estate (@realestateband) on Mar 2, 2020 at 8:48am PST

The Brooklyn-based band Real Estate has a new record out... and this afternoon (don't have an exact time), they're touring their favorite NYC record stores — even though three of them are now closed.

So at some point this afternoon, you may come across them playing outside Rocks in Your Head (Prince Street, RIP 2006), Other Music (East Fourth Street, RIP 2016) and Kim's (First Avenue, RIP 2014) on the band's "The Outstore Thing" tour.

They'll move on to Rough Trade in Williamsburg for an actual in-store this evening at 7.

Tuesday's parting shot

Goggla shared this photo today from the Death Star CVS, where a lone bottle of rubbing alcohol was left on the shelf. And as reported at other drug stores around the city-state-country, no sign of hand sanitizer after several days of coronavirus-induced panic purchasing.

Catch a screening of 'Squatter's Opera' this Sunday

The Sunday afternoon at 3, Theater 80 is showing the first public screening of Michael Shenker's "Squatter's Opera."

Here are details via the EVG inbox...

In 2019, a group of about 25 Lower East Side veteran squatters, artists, musicians and activists came together to resurrect the song "Live Free Or Die" from the late Michael Shenker's collection of songs that came to be known as "The Squatter's Opera." The performance was at Theater For The New City on May 26, 2019.

Simeon Rose created this short film of the event. This piece begins by explaining the hows and whys of Squatting via an informative introduction by graphic artist Seth Tobocman, followed by the musical characterization of scenes pulled from real life squatting and the quest for affordable housing.

Sunday's screening includes a Q&A with the cast and crew. There's a suggested donation between $5 and $20. All proceeds go directly toward the production. Find more info at Facebook. Theater 80 is at 80 St. Mark's Place between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

Ralph's Famous Italian Ices & Ice Cream coming to Avenue A

Ralph's Famous Italian Ices & Ice Cream is opening an outpost at 145 Avenue A and Ninth Street.

There has been activity inside the space, with equipment looking like more ice cream might be on the way.

While there hasn't been an official announcement of this arrival, the expanding company has several new outposts planned this year... and 145 Avenue A is now on the Ralph's website...



This business dates to 1928 when Ralph Silvestro started selling Italian ice (or water ice) from his truck around Staten Island. The first retail store opened in 1949 on Port Richmond Avenue in Staten Island. In recent years the company has franchised out, expanding to other parts of NYC as well as Long Island, New Jersey and Westchester County.

Ralph's takes over for Gelarto, which closed early last summer after a rocky two years selling gelato on the corner.

Thanks to @DanMarcustweets!

Prince Tea House announces its arrival on 10th Street

The plywood is up at 204 E. 10th St. just east of Second Avenue where Prince Tea House will be setting up shop later this year...



As the plywood signage notes, Prince Tea House will also serve coffee, desserts, wine and brunch.

The new shop will be located in the currently empty space that last housed the Le Pressing dry cleaners (and whatever was next door).

This also means more competition in a tea-heavy area with several established shops nearby, including Cha-An on Ninth Street and Uluh Tea House, which opened right around the corner on Second Avenue in November 2018.

Thanks to Steven for the photos!

Previously on EV Grieve:
Prince Tea House expanding to the East Village with an outpost on 10th Street

Former PS 64 not subject to the city’s new crackdown on deteriorating buildings

[10th Street side]

The Department of Buildings recently put into place an amended rule governing exterior wall inspections and repairs for owners of buildings higher than six floors who fail to upkeep their properties.

This change came about after architect Erica Tishman was killed by falling debris from a Midtown office building in December.

However, as the Daily News reported, this new rule doesn't apply to the long-vacant P.S. 64 on Ninth Street between Avenue B and Avenue C.

Per the News:

Because the school is lower than six stories and now has the proper protections up, including several sidewalk sheds, it won’t be newly scrutinized, building officials said.

"Stabilization work in the building has been performed, and the Department of Buildings continues to closely monitor the situation to protect pedestrians," said Jane Meyer, a spokeswoman for Mayor de Blasio.

But the vacate order from last February is still active, DOB records show — which leave people who live nearby skeptical of the city’s claims.

"There's a lack of oversight that is going on," said Carolyn Ratcliffe, 77, who is president of the 9 BC Tompkins Square Block Association. "We really feel like we're being blown off."

Read the full article here.


[9th Street side]

Developer Gregg Singer bought the property — the former P.S 64 and CHARAS/El Bohio community center — from the city during an auction in 1998. The landmarked building has been empty for years. You can read the archives for more on the long history here.

Noted

As a follow-up to our post earlier today on the unveiling of the new residential building on the site of the deadly March 2015 gas explosion... EVG regular 2ndAvenueSilverPanther points out that the condoplex on Second Avenue and Seventh Street has already been tagged...

More of the explosion site condoplex comes into view at 45 E. 7th St.

Back on Friday, workers removed the construction tarps from the Seventh Street side of the new building on the northwest corner of Second Avenue (thanks to Steven for these photos...)



So now we have better views of this high-profile project at 45 E. Seventh St., which is going up on two of the three lots destroyed during the deadly gas explosion here on March 26, 2015.





Missing to date: the perforated cornice parapet that we saw in the rendering...


[Rendering via Morris Adjmi]

The Morris Adjmi-designed building will include 21 condo units as well as ground-floor retail. Residential units are one, two and three bedrooms. The Tavivian Team from Douglas Elliman will be responsible for the sales.

You can find all the background about this project and its history at this link.

Suki is moving to a larger space around the corner

[Photo from 2018 by Derek Berg]

Suki, the six-seat Japanese curry shop at 86 E. Seventh St. just west of First Avenue, is moving to a new, larger space around the corner at 111 First Ave.

Following renovations, chef Kelly Cho will serve her Japanese-style curries from the former Maharlika space between Sixth Street and Seventh Street...





Here's part of Suki's announcement on Instagram:

We are really excited to say that Suki will soon expand & still live in East Village! It is truly still unbelievable the amount of love we received in the 6 seater restaurant! We will still be serving the same high quality food as usual so do not worry!

P.S. We thank our loyal customers who wished for more seats.

Suki opened in July 2018 and received favorable notices in the Times and via Michelin.

Thanks to Steven for the photos!

Another fire at 204 E. 13th St.

There was another fire reported at 204 E. 13th St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue. Early Saturday morning, the FDNY responded to a blaze on the third floor at the address...

MAN ALL HANDS 204 E 13 ST, MULTIPLE DWELLING FIRE ON 3RD FLR,

— FDNYalerts (@FDNYAlerts) February 29, 2020

No word on the extent of the damage to the 4-story building (see top photo via a reader) or a cause.

This is the second time in 15 months that a fire broke out at No. 204. Renovations were apparently still in progress in the building following an early morning fire during Thanksgiving weekend 2018.

That fire caused extensive water damage to Bruno Pizza, the retail tenant on the ground floor in the building owned by Steve Croman. Last July, owner Demian Repucci decided that the damage was too much to overcome, and he decided to move on from the business.

Soothr, a Thai noodle bar, was expected to open soon in the space. The most recent apartment rental via Streeteasy is from last May, when a two-bedroom unit on the third floor was listed — then removed — for $5,073.

H/T Jodi!

That Duane Reade by Walgreens closes today on 10th and 3rd

As previously noted, the Duane Reade by Walgreens location on the southwest corner of Third Avenue and 10th Street closes today.

Pharmacy customers are being transferred to the DR on 14th Street and Third Avenue.

The store is pretty much cleared out already...





This marks the third Duane Reade by Walgreens to close nearby in the past few months. The outpost on Avenue D at Houston and First Avenue between 14th Street and 15th Street shuttered last November.

Now what will happen to this large retail space, which has been under cover of a sidewalk bridge for years...



In late 2015-early 2016, the drug store expanded into the two adjacent spaces along here, after Excel Art and Framing Store and East Village Cheese were forced to relocate. (EV Cheese was never able to make the new location work.)

The landlord will likely have an easier go of renting this location if the storefront is divided into smaller spaces once again.