Details are still a little sketchy but word is that a woman, possibly passed out on the street, was sexually assaulted early this morning. Someone walked out of their building, saw it happening, and called the NYPD. They arrived fairly quickly and apparently the suspect was caught. The health of the victim is unknown.
The bank that owns 135 Bowery hasn't submitted its affordable intention in writing. The bank hasn't shown any affordable rent rates; the bank hasn't produced any legally binding contract for this promised affordable commercial space or any indication how long the leases would remain affordable, or even any binding document whatsoever showing their intent. All we have is the word of the bank. (What do you think that's worth?)
"Does this mean the east side is going to see the likes of the Boom Boom Room and Le Bain nightlife crowd? Le Bain was a prime and hot spot for Fashion Week parties last year and mostly this year's as well. After Balazs re-opened the Boom Boom room as a private club, Le Bain was positioned to pick up the pieces of the Boom Boom room's former existence. But it didn't quite fill the void.
"Will that happen with the Cooper Square Hotel? Certainly the top floor Cooper Square Hotel has the ability to be crafted as a replica of the Boom Boom room's fun palace. Could Balazs recreate the magic?"
Avenue A resident Andrew Coamey said that during the bar's Halloween party, Hennings allegedly approached him on the sidewalk ... that he would see him in 10 years and Coamey "would still be complaining about gentrification." At the time of the confrontation, Hennings was dressed as a gladiator.
After hearing a handful of residents speak out, Hennings called their claims "blasphemous lies." He apologized to the committee for being so upset, but that sitting there and hearing the residents was "angst provoking."
East Village residents say the playground in Tompkins Square Park has a huge reduction in its rat population, thanks to NY1 For You. After parents contacted NY1, the station called the Parks Department about the rodents and a spokesman said while the agency is not placing rat poison in the park out of concern for the resident red-tailed hawk, the agency has removed groundcover, weeds and low growing shrubs in the park that had sheltered rats.
Cooper Union doesn't actually own the building that holds the store, but leases it from a company called Casabella Holdings, and sublets it to St Mark's. Some of the people signing the petition have accused Cooper Union of being greedy and trying to force St. Marks out of the area.
But Cooper Union is hardly your typical college. It's one of the few in the country that offers all its students full scholarships, each valued at $38,500 a year. The income it generates from its real estate holdings, according to [spokesperson Jolene] Travis, makes up 55 percent of the college's revenue.
One real estate analyst, David Nouhian of the Metropolitan Property Group, argues that the most sensible solution would be for St. Mark's to move to a cheaper location, perhaps mid-block.
"That landlord could get a lot more than $20,000 a month in today's market," Nouhian said.
