With City Council vote looming, NYCHA residents speak out against East Side stormproofing plan

[Along East River Park]

The City Council's final vote on the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project (ESCR), the $1.45 billion proposal to protect the East Side from future storms and rising sea levels, is expected on Thursday afternoon.

Meanwhile, this morning, the City Council Committee on Land Use will weigh in with a vote at 11.

Ahead of these crucial votes, the community pushback continues. Late last week, a group called NYCHA Speaks circulated a letter and petition "to speak out against the lies that are being told at our expense. We are not in favor of the demolition of our park!"

Their letter, sent to local elected officials, states in part:

These petitions are being submitted to you on behalf of nearly 2,000 NYCHA residents of Lillian Wald, Jacob Riis, and Baruch Houses.

These signatures have been collected over the past weeks to show that the vast majority of NYCHA residents do NOT support Option 4 of the ESCR plan. The East River Park has been a vital part of our community for generations, and the demolition of our park will have a devastating impact on the health and stability of our families.

To name just a few of our many concerns:

· The release of contaminants into the air during the demolition and landfill phases. We already suffer a high rate of asthma in our community.

· The negative effects of the loss of much of our local green space (including almost 1,000 mature trees) during the many years of construction. There are thousands of NYCHA families that depend on the East River Park for recreation, school sports, relaxation and family gatherings — in a community that has few alternatives.

Because this plan to demolish and bury the East River Park has received widespread opposition from the community overall, it has been particularly troubling to see how the DDC and City officials have used a very small handful of NYCHA representatives as their “vote of support.”

The staged appearances of these same 2 or 3 individuals in almost every ESCR Town Hall and Public Hearing has slowly created an outrage among NYCHA residents. These individuals are not speaking truthfully for their community! This petitioning effort is a reaction to what we considered was false representation on our behalf.

The Lillian Wald, Jacob Riis, and Baruch Houses suffered the impact of Hurricane Sandy firsthand, and we are aware of the need for flood protection. However, we do not want to sacrifice our park. We see the City’s push to demolish and bury the East River Park as an assault on our history, and on our continued presence in this rapidly gentrifying neighborhood. We understand that construction will need to be done to protect the neighborhood from flooding, but do not support the current plan that the City has chosen.

Last Monday, the City Council Subcommittee on Landmarks, Sitings and Dispositions voted for the plan.

Before the subcommittee vote, Mayor de Blasio announced the formation of a new community advisory group that will provide input on the design and construction progress in East River Park.

No word on who exactly will be part of this "community advisory group."

On Thursday night, officials from the Department of Design & Construction are scheduled to present updates on the plan before Community Board 3's Parks, Recreation, Waterfront & Resiliency Committee. That public meeting is at 6:30 p.m. in the BRC Senior Services Center, 30 Delancey St. between Chrystie and Forsyth.

Previously on EV Grieve:
• Dutch consultant files report on the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project (Oct. 11)

• More details on the city's new plan to keep East River park partially open during flood protection construction (Oct. 3)

• At the march and rally to save East River Park (Sept. 21)

• An annual reunion in East River Park (Aug. 4)

• A visit to East River Park (July 10)

A Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen for 1st Avenue?

Renovations are now underway inside the long-vacant 39 First Ave. here between Second Street and Third Street.

According to sources on the block, a Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen will be the new tenant.

There's nothing on the recently issued work permits mentioning Popeyes by name. The architect of record does mostly work with fast-food properties.

So chalk this up to a rumor for now.

Popeyes has enjoyed a resurgence since the release this past summer of its pandemonium-inducing fried chicken sandwich ... which was recently re-introduced to a spate of violence at several outposts across the country.

There are currently 15 Popeyes locations in Manhattan, per the company website.

As for No. 39, the retail space has sat empty for nearly four years after NY Village Deli moved to a smaller storefront on the block.

The storefront was also tagged again in recent days.



Updated

In other local Popeyes news... the Post reports that an East Village resident found half of a joint from a chicken sandwich he bought last week at the West 14th Street location.

Foxface now selling sandwiches 6 days a week with addition of Tuesday service

[Photo by Stacie Joy]

Foxface continues to expand its hours of operation.

The unique sandwich shop inside the William Barnacle Tavern at Theatre 80 is now open on Tuesdays...

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Foxface (@foxface_nyc) on Nov 11, 2019 at 7:17am PST

So moving forward, Foxface is open Tuesday through Friday, noon to 3 p.m., then 5:30-9:30 p.m. ... and noon to 9 p.m. (or when they sell out!) on Saturday and Sunday.

East Village residents Ori Kushnir and Sivan Lahat opened Foxface, 80 St. Mark's Place just west of First Avenue, late last year. Pete Wells is among the fans of Foxface.

H/T Steven!

Previously on EV Grieve:
Longtime East Village residents open Foxface, now serving sandwiches at Theater 80

Former Percy's storefront gets a fresh coat of paint

[Photo by Steven]

Several readers have noted the recently painted exterior of the former Percy's Tavern on the northeast corner of Avenue A and 13th Street... which led to questions about whether a new tenant is on the way in here.

Block association sources are unaware of any business in the works at the moment. The space has been vacant for more than two years after Percy's Tavern closed.

In September of 2017, Community Board 3 did not approve the Late Late’s James Morrissey's application to open Honey Fitz at this address.

As BoweryBoogie reported at the time:

Sick of the “broken promises,” the Avenue A block associations spoke of how Percy’s is detrimental to quality of life. They further alleged that bringing in Morrissey with a 4am liquor license, and who has a terrible track record with VYNL and The Late Late, would only exacerbate an already saturated area. Indeed, the latter operation is considered one of the worst offenders in the district, and carries a report card of more than thirty 311 complaints. Residents on East 1st Street regularly complain about noise, which first has to travel past a clamorous Houston Street and then through First Park.

The liquor license, which includes Morrissey's name, is currently inactive for the address... and it expires at the end of January, according to the State Liquor Authority.

It's also possible the interior was damaged during the fire upstairs in the building back in March. Here's a look inside...



The bar-lounge Fat Buddha just reopened next door after post-fire renovations.

45 E. 1st St. vacant again

Skinny Buddha, a vegan food business with outposts in Scarsdale and Mt. Cisco, has wrapped up its three-month pop-up cafe at 45 E. First St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

So now the space is tenant-free at the moment. The storefront had been the coffee bar Cocoa Grinder for a few months. The business never took off, in part because their opening coincided with the (now concluded) months-long water-main work on the block... not to mention the ongoing condoplex construction on the corner of Second Avenue blocked off half of the street for a few years.

The address previously housed the bar-restaurant Joe and Misses Doe.

Today's transit of Mercury from 2nd Avenue

Exciting day for fans of the planet Mercury, which passed directly between Earth and the Sun in an event that won’t happen again until 2032.

As this photo by Derek Berg shows, Felton Davis of the Second Avenue Star Watchers was set up near the F stop... from here, you could spot the small silhouette of Mercury moving across the Sun. (A very thick black filter blocked out 99 percent of the Sun's light, and made it safe to view.)

Here's a photo that I took with my iPhone via NASA today ...

When the 'Fifth Street Boys' came home

In honor of Veterans Day today... here's part of an EVG post from Nov. 10, 2010. EVG contributor James Maher shared these photos. His grandparents and mother were born and raised on Fifth Street between Avenue A and Avenue B.

Here's a celebration of the "Fifth Street Boys" returning home from World War II.

Per James on the photos below: "I spoke with my Aunt who tells me that the photo was taken around 1945 to celebrate the end of the war. I don't know exactly which building, but apparently my grandma and relatives had three apartments in the same building on 5th Street between Avenue A and B, which is where this photo was taken from. My grandmother and all of her sisters are most of the girls that are looking up at the camera in the second photo."

The MTA closes the 2 Brooklyn-bound L-train entrances for upgrades on 14th Street at 1st Avenue

[Photo via the MTA]

The two new L-train entrances on 14th Street at Avenue A — for Brooklyn-bound commuters — debuted last Monday. (First reported here.)

Starting today (Nov. 11), the MTA is closing the two Brooklyn-bound entrances on 14th Street at First Avenue. The MTA is replacing all of the structural beams and redoing the walls and tile — with a scheduled April 2020 completion date.



Workers have board up the entrances on the south side of 14th Street (h/t Pinch!)...



So here's what that means, via the L Project Newsletter:

• On weekdays between 5 a.m. and 9:45 p.m., use the new Avenue A south entrance for Brooklyn-bound service.
• On nights/weekends, use the First Avenue north for service in both directions.

Here are more details from the newsletter:

1) Other parts of the First Avenue Station improvements are also ahead of schedule, including the elevators.
The two new elevators, one on either side of 14th Street near Avenue A, were originally supposed to open in November 2020. Now, we're estimating a June 2020 completion.

2) The new Avenue A north (Manhattan-bound) entrance will open later, sometime in 2020. The First Avenue north side will close then, just like the south side entrances. We're phasing the entrance work so we can always have two entrances open at all times, one on either side of the tracks.

3) Street restoration is ahead of schedule, too. Originally, the street restoration wasn't supposed to be completed until May 2020. Now, most of it will be done by January. We'll be pouring new sidewalks and getting rid of or shrinking our worksites. Reduced barricaded areas will stay around the two elevators and on the north side of 14th Street by the Avenue B substation. All work will be underground except for the elevators and reconstructed entrances.

Preliminary work on the Avenue A entrances in July 2017.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Nightmare scenario for residents who learn that 14th Street and Avenue A will be the main staging area for the L-train reconstruction

Behold your new Avenue A L-train entrances!

Odd Eye closing 5th Street shop; going online

After nearly three years at 524 E. Fifth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B, Odd Eye NYC is closing up shop.

The owners of the design store are moving their business online...



In an upbeat closing notice on Instagram, the owners note:

What a ride but guess what?
It’s time to adapt. We’re going 100% digital! 🤳🏼

Everything is on sale! Come make an offer/score a deal!

Been a lot of fun and a lot of hard work! Excited to see what ODDEYE has in store for you in the future but until then come buy some shit! 🤗

And thx for the awesome opportunity and the best landlord anyone could ask for! C U on the internet!

Odd Eye will be open through this month. You can find their website here.

A look at the northwest corner of 14th Street and 1st Avenue

The Duane Reade on First Avenue just north of 14th Street closed last Wednesday, one of many DRs around the city to do so.

This (mostly) single-level strip of commercial buildings on the northwest corner has long drawn reader interest ... mostly because someone hasn't gobbled up these properties for new development.

All of the four-story 239 First Ave., where the shuttered Salt & Pepper sold Indian and Chinese cuisine from the storefront, is apparently vacant ...



Anyway, there's nothing in public records to suggest anything is afoot here. And a new Japanese restaurant is coming to the former Kambi Ramen House space there next door to O'Hanlon's...



For now it's on the Future Development Site watch. And enjoy Papaya Dog.

11 Avenue C now with bricks and glass

The 10-story 11 Avenue C (aka 350 E. Houston St.) has entered the next phase in its construction — bricks and glass...



After a sloooooow start (foundation work began in December 2016 on this triangular lot that housed the neighborhood's last gas station), there has been noticeable progress in recent months. The residential building with 46 units will include ground-floor retail.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Workers officially reach the top at 11 Avenue C, where a 10-floor building sits on the neighborhood's last gas station

Week in Grieview

[Friday morning in Tompkins Square Park via Derek Berg]

Posts this last week included...

Exclusive: After 20-plus years in the East Village, Obscura Antiques and Oddities is closing (Thursday)

A look at Book Club, the new bookstore-cafe on 3rd Street (Friday)

Enz's Boutique has closed on 2nd Avenue (Monday)

This book was due on Dec. 10, 1958. Someone just returned it to the Cooper Union Library. (Tuesday)

State pols introduce legislation to ban garbage trucks from parking overnight on city streets, like on 10th Street (Wednesday)

The incoming Trader Joe's on 14th Street at Avenue A is now hiring (Monday) ... Will the new East Village Trader Joe's open on this date in 2020? (Tuesday)

2 neighborhood Duane Reade locations closed this week (Wednesday)

Behold your new Avenue A L-train entrances! (Tuesday)

Acclaimed pastrami purveyors Harry & Ida's will close this month on Avenue A (Friday)

Haveli-Banjara has not been open lately on 2nd Avenue (Monday)

This week's NY See (Thursday)

About face: The Cupcake Market has a new name on 7th Street (Wednesday)

Coming to select M14 A/D SBS stops along 14th Street: bus boarding platforms (Thursday)

Sorbet Cray Cray goes bye bye from Avenue A (Friday)

Mi Casa Latina closes after 10 months on 14th (Monday)

What's going on at Joe's Steam Rice Roll? (Tuesday)

First sign of Mokyo, a new Korean restaurant coming to St. Mark's Place (Wednesday)

Openings: 5 Napkin Burger Express rolls out its counter service (Monday)

... and a fallscape on 10th and B via Vinny & O...



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This unique bird made a migration pit stop on 7th Street the other day

This American Bittern made a migratory pit stop behind a building on Seventh Street between Avenue A and First Avenue ... which is where Elizabeth Cunningham spotted the brown heron hanging out in the nasturtiums ...







The bird arrived on Friday morning around 11 and left by 8 a.m. yesterday. During the bird's nearly 24 hours here, she spoke with the Wild Bird Fund, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and two wildlife rehabilitators in the city.

Here's her report:

Although rarely spotted — especially around here — I was informed it's common for them to make 24-hour stops along their way south. He didn't appear injured and the ornithology personnel told me he'd be fine overnight despite the cold snap. He settled into a bush for the night and is now presumably back on track toward warmer climes.

Former Benny's Burritos week in review

Back on Monday, we had a full reveal of the long-vacant storefront that housed Benny's Burritos (RIP November 2014) for 27 years on Avenue A and Sixth Street.

There seemed to be a lot of interest on the empty-for-five-years-now space among readers.

Con Ed did some work out front on Wednesday...



Not much happened inside, though.



There's a new roll-down gate on the Avenue A side, and someone removed the Benny's sign from the space... though part of the Benny's awning remains on the Sixth Street side...



Oh, and someone quickly tagged those new roll-down gates...



In any event, the for rent sign remains up out front... with no word of a possible new tenant. There aren't any new work permits on file for the address either.