Facing a $168k rent increase, the Associated Supermarket on West 14th Street closes

[Photo by Bayou]

The Associated Supermarket at 255 W. 14th St. between Seventh Avenue and Eighth Avenue closed after business on Sunday, per the notice on the door.

Landlord Pan Am Equities reportedly served the 27-year-old store with an exorbitant rent increase. (According to Gothamist, the rent is going from $32,000/month to $200,000/month.)

In March, "an impressively large crowd and a full slate of politicians rallied outside the Associated" to try to save the market. (There was another protest outside Pan Am's offices.) The lease was up this month.

The owners of the Chelsea location also run the Associated in Stuy Town on East 14th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue (as well as the location on Avenue C at Eighth Street).

The sign at the former Chelsea store points shoppers to the East 14th Street location. Not sure how many people will make that trek. And there isn't any guarantee that the East 14th Street store will continue to operate as Associated.

However, there's hope. Principal owner Joseph Falzon and his partners have reportedly been working with Blackstone to come to an agreement for the Stuy Town Associated before their lease expires for that store in 2017, according to the Town & Village Blog.

H/T Bayou!

Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: Associated owners not having any luck shopping for a lease renewal on East 14th Street (34 comments)

Petition drive underway to help save the Stuy Town Associated on East 14th Street

Report: New Stuy Town owner pledges to keep a grocery story on East 14th Street, but it may not be Associated

Nest stop

Red-tailed hawk parents Christo and Dora on nest watch in Tompkins Square Park late this afternoon... not sure just how many hatchlings are in the nest. Goggla has been monitoring the feedings. (There's a video of a feeding at Urban Hawks.)

Thankfully, there isn't any shortage of rats for the kids.

And maybe later this summer all of Christo and Dora's offspring will return for a family reunion in the Park.

Photo today by Bobby Williams

Previously

[Updated] Skitty is missing

Skitty managed somehow to get out of the apartment some time last night... here are some basics via the EVG inbox...

Name: Skitty (only fostered with that name for 3 months, so may not respond to it)
male grey medium haired cat, about 18 months old
Lost on East Eighth Street between Avenue B and Avenue C
$200 reward for safe return
Contact: email lostcatev@gmail.com

Updated 5/54

Skitty is back home safe! He was found about a block away, hanging out in the building's back garden. Thank you to everyone who offered leads, help, etc.

A wet Christmas forecast

As these photos suggest, late April is a popular time to discard the ol' Christmas/holiday tree... on city sidewalks... and in waterways...



EVG reader Carol spotted this scene yesterday at Stuyvesant Cove. As she notes, "judging by the buoyancy and needle mass, I'd guess it went in recently." Indeed.

Renderings arrive as construction kicks in at 438 E. 14th St.

Construction activity has picked up in the last week-plus at 438 E. 14th St., site of the former Peter Stuyvesant Post Office....



And along with this work ... the renderings have arrived on the plywood here between Avenue A and First Avenue... providing the first, official look at the new retail-residential building on the way in (and up)...







The plans show an 8-story retail-residential building via SLCE Architects featuring 114 units.

We couldn't find the information about the project at the website of Benenson Capital Partners, whose company has owned the East 14th Street property since the 1940s. In February, we found the following about the new building:

Benenson and the Mack Real Estate Group have formed a joint venture to develop a mixed-use residential and ground floor retail property in New York City's East Village. The 80/20 property will provide both market and affordable housing units. The property is located less than a block from the L train and within blocks of Union Square, which is one of New York's busiest subway stations. Construction is expected to begin shortly and end in late 2016 or early 2017.

In any event, this makes seven active construction sites in a span of several blocks...

• 100 Avenue A

• 438 E. 12th St. aka Steinerville

• Thirteen East + West on East 13th Street (with construction at No. 436 and 442)

• 500 E. 14th St. and 524 E. 14th St. (counting this as two sites)

Previously on EV Grieve:
Former Peter Stuyvesant Post Office slated to be demolished

The former Peter Stuyvesant Post Office will yield to an 8-story residential building

New residential building at former 14th Street PO will feature a quiet lounge, private dining room

A look at the new building coming to the former Peter Stuyvesant Post Office property

Community health and wellness center coming to East 14th Street

Signage has arrived at 332 E. 14th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue... where the storefront has been under renovation...

It's E14 MedArts...





Per the sign, this will be a "state of the art boutique medical and wellness center which will cater to Stuyvesant Town residents." (Does this mean that non-Stuy Town residents can't use this place?)



The facility is billed as an alternative to an urgent care center (like that chop chop yow place up the next block) or emergency room.

The address was previously home to Danny Cycle's, which closed here at the end of 2015.

Bond Street Chocolate has closed on East 4th Street

The handcrafted chocolate shop at 63 E. Fourth St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery closed on Saturday.

The note on the door from owner Lynda Stern, a former pastry chef, says "we have had to leave our sweet chocolate jewel box."



In February 2015, the 7-year-old shop made headlines when the Universal Society of Hinduism asked Bond Street Chocolate to stop selling its edible elephant-headed Hindu god Ganesh.

Thanks to EVG regular Spike for the photos and tip!

Sidewalk bridge arrives ahead of demolition of 287 E. Houston St.; condos coming next

Getting to be time to demolish the two-level structure at 287 E. Houston St. near Clinton Street. The sidewalk bridge is now in place. (The demo permit was filed in March 2015.)

The plans, which still await city approval, call for an 11-story building with 28 residences.

Here's a recap from New York Yimby, who had the first look at the rendering earlier last month:

The boutique development will have two to four apartments on each story, including two duplexes on the first and second floors and a penthouse duplex on the top two floors. The plans indicate that the penthouse will have a private roof deck, and the rest of the residents will have access to a shared terrace. The apartments will range from one- to three-bedrooms, and asking prices will start at $1.1 million and go up to $5 million, according to PR reps for the development.

As we first noted on April 6, the new development already has a teaser site in case you'd like to get in on the action early.

The space previously housed a tax preparation service and a landscaping business.

Previously on EV Grieve:
11 stories of condos to join the growing East Houston residential corridor

A Santander Bank branch opens today on 13th and Broadway; and where's the Maison Kayser?

Well, not terribly newsy or exciting. That another bank branch is opening.

The address was previously home to a Cosi and Cohen's Optical. In November, there were reports that the Paris-based Maison Kayser was opening a 3,000-square-foot bakery on 13th and Broadway.

Given the arrival of the bank, an EVG reader asked if the bakery was still in play.

In looking at the report from last November in the Commercial Observer:

Paris-based Maison Kayser has inked a 3,000-square-foot deal at The Feil Organization’s 841 Broadway, the landlord announced in a press release. That space will be split up between the ground floor and mezzanine level of the eight-story building at the corner of East 13th Street.

Maison Kayser signed a 15-year lease, and will open early next year. It’s joining such retail neighbors as Max Brenner Chocolatier and Santander Bank.

So you have to figure that Maison Kayser will be opening in the storefront to the north of the bank branch...



In 2013, Gothamist named Maison Kayser one of the city's 12 best bakeries: "And though chain bakeries can be forces to fear, we have to admit this spot whips up one hell of a baguette," they wrote.

This location marks the ninth now in the the city for Maison Kayser.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: Maison Kayser opening a large bakery on 13th and Broadway (25 comments)

Week in Grieview

[Photo on 2nd Avenue by Derek Berg]

Stories posted on EVG this past week included...

Ongoing concerns about demolition work and elevated lead levels in Toledano-owned buildings (Monday)

A new lease for Jane's Exchange on East Third Street (Thursday)

Hawklet watch is on now in Tompkins Square Park (Tuesday)

Beetle House Beetle House Beetle House (Thursday)

Historic copper door returns to synagogue-turned condos on Sixth Street (Monday)

Former Ricky's space rebranded and ready to rent on First Avenue (Monday)

Bluestone Lane officially opens at 51 Astor Place (Monday)


[Please mind the photographer! DB]

DumplingGo expected to reopen later in May (Tuesday)

At Thirstea Café tea shop (Friday)

Seventh Street returns to 1981 for filming of young Barack Obama movie "Barry" (Tuesday)

Part 2 of our interview with Alan Good (Wednesday)

Report: No Fun on Ludlow Street sues the LES Dwellers for defamation (Thursday)

Albert Trummer's hospital-themed cocktail lounge Sanatorium now open on Avenue C (Wednesday)

615 E. Sixth St. has been sold (Tuesday) Ditto for 85 E. 10th St. and 112-120 E. 11th St. (Friday)

Desi Snack closed for now on Fourth Avenue (Wednesday)

Capturing two lightning strikes at One World Trade Center (Tuesday)

Mars Bar flashback (Wednesday)

Trash & Vaudeville-less 4 St. Mark's Place sells for $10 million (Friday)

A sidewalk bridge arrives outside Peter Brant's incoming gallery space on East Sixth Street (Thursday)

Today's free concert in Tompkins Square Park rescheduled for next weekend

Given the rain expected this afternoon, the organizers decided to hold off until next weekend. The show will be rescheduled for either next Saturday or Sunday... We'll update when that date is set.

The Facebook event page for the show is here.

Report: Death of man on East 4th Street ruled a homicide 11 years later

On Sept. 15, 2005, firefighters found a badly injured Serafin Vasquez inside his fire-scorched apartment at 120 E. Fourth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue. According to published reports, Vasquez had burns to his arms, legs and torso, and stab wounds to his head and body. He died six months later at age 60.

Now, per the Daily News:

The city Medical Examiner initially concluded the cause of death was undetermined.

In March of this year, a detective reviewing the case, which remained open, realized Vasquez’s death certificate failed to label the death a homicide, according to a police source.

The Medical Examiner’s said the case was reopened and the death was reclassified as a homicide in light of “investigative information."

No arrests have been made.

According to a Post article published on Sept. 17, 2005:

Cops said that Vasquez had been communicating until recently with a younger woman who was in jail on drug charges and that they thought he had sent her money.

She was being sought for interrogation last night.

Neighbors reported hearing a loud argument, in Spanish, coming from Vasquez’s apartment at about 2:30 p.m. Thursday.

Then the smell of smoke began creeping through the hallway.

One building resident said that Vasquez "was a really great guy. He would help you out in a second. He was the best kind of neighbor."

Report: Rat complaints on the rise

[Photo by Derek Berg]

At this current pace, the city's rat complaint record set last year will fall in 2016.

Per the Post:

New Yorkers have made 8,335 rodent complaints to the city’s 311 hot line so far this year, up 18 percent from the same period in 2015, when there were 7,076 complaints, and 39 percent over the same period in 2014, records show.

As previously noted, our very own Community District 3 ranked No. 1 in 2015, according to the Health Department, as having the worst rat problem in Manhattan.

CB3 district manager Susan Stetzer discusses the issue in the Post:

She said rats in her district ... feast on garbage from eateries and scraps left in Tompkins Square and Seward parks.

“There are more mountains of garbage on the street waiting to be picked up. Our increased development does not have the infrastructure to support it,” she said.

“The worst locations are city-owned properties. The Department of Health cannot issue summonses and clean up and charge back to the property owner if necessary.”

In related news... the trash can had been missing from the container marked "Keep Council District 2 clean" for the past four days on Avenue A at St. Mark's Place...



Previously on EV Grieve:
The East Village will be testing ground for a 'rat reservoir pilot'

How to get a free map of Lower East Side Community Gardens

Community gardener Helen Avery has been working with the Parks Department to create a map of the Lower East Side Community gardens...

The maps are done, and Helen will be distributing them for free today from 2-4 p.m. at La Plaza Cultural (southwest corner of Avenue C and Ninth Street) ... and Monday night from 6-8 at the Sixth Street Community Center between Avenue B and Avenue C...