Dueling business awnings on Avenue A

Now, to the business awning news. As previously mentioned, the owners of Top A Nails are moving into the empty retail space next to their existing shop on Avenue A between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street...

And yesterday afternoon, workers put up the new awning for 139 Avenue A... right next to the existing awning at No. 137...



Which one do you prefer?

As for No. 137, the listing shows an asking rent of $6,800.

No. 139 last housed Sustainable NYC, the eco-minded general store and café that closed for good last summer.

Moneylowball: City appraiser underestimated value of former Rivington House by $51 million

Another day, another ridiculous revelation in the ongoing investigation into 45 Rivington St. City officials reportedly lifted deed restrictions on the Lower East Side building based on an appraisal that valued the property at $65 million, $51 million less than its sale price.

According to The Wall Street Journal, who broke the story yesterday:

Some private appraisers in the city are shaking their heads, wondering how the city came up with such a low valuation in New York’s robust real-estate market.

Robert Von Ancken, chairman of Landauer Valuation & Advisory, who has been an appraiser in the city for about four decades, said the rule of thumb is to value development opportunities such as 45 Rivington at $800 a square foot — at minimum.

The city appraisal valued Rivington House, at 45 Rivington St., at $433 a square foot. The city appraisal process “really must have messed up,” Mr. Von Ancken said.

[Via The Wall Street Journal]

To the usual recap: In February 2015, the Allure Group paid $28 million for the property, promising that 45 Rivington — the former Rivington Center for Nursing & Rehabilitation — would remain a health facility. In November, a city agency lifted the the deed in exchange for the Allure Group's $16 million payment to the city. Earlier this year, Allure then reportedly sold the property for $116 million to the the Slate Property Group, a condo developer who plans to create 100 luxury residences in the building that overlooks Sara S. Roosevelt Park.

To date, city officials have repeatedly declined to identify the appraiser or specify the amount of the appraisal, the Journal reports.

An EVG reader who was a patient at the facility early last year previously shared this about 45 Rivington:

"The building is incredible with 12-foot ceilings and a penthouse floor that has a view from the UN to all of Midtown and Downtown. I knew it was doomed to have developers all over it from the first day I got there."

The investigation continues by a group that includes Preet Bharara, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.

Color of evening

Sunset photo this evening via Bobby Williams

We can now project that the polls have closed

[Voting at the Theater for the New City via Grant Shaffer]

It's just after 9, and the polls are now closed on this primary day.

Readers reported mostly problem-free trips to the polling places.

So while we hand count the votes, here are a few random primary-related photos ...


[Bernie at the Bean via Nicolina]








[Photo via @milanos_bar_nyc]

[Updated] Verameat robbed on East 9th Street this afternoon

Several EVG readers noted a strong police presence this afternoon on East Ninth Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue... There's not much information at the moment. According to witnesses, the jewelry store Verameat was robbed by a man with a knife just after 1 p.m. ...



We'll update when more details become available...

Updated 4/22

The Post has a few more details in its Daily Blotter:

The 27-year-old victim was shopping in Verameat on East Ninth Street at about noon on Tuesday when the male suspect walked in, pulled a knife and forced her into the restroom. The woman handed about $200, jewelry, a laptop computer and a cellphone to the robber, who fled, investigators said.

No mention of a description for the suspect... or where a store employee might have been. Seems likely that the store employee was the one robbed....

H/T MP and Steven

Reports: L train shutdown looms in 2019

[Image via @frank_ape]

As you probably know, an L train shutdown for Sandy-related repairs will happen in some form or another. But when?

Yesterday, the MTA provided a date: repairs won't start until 2019.

However, the length of the closure is unknown. Per The Wall Street Journal today:

Officials have been weighing options that include closing both tracks running through the century-old tunnel or shutting down one track at a time to maintain some service between Brooklyn and Manhattan.

A full closure of both tracks through the L train tunnel could be completed in about 18 months, but a partial closure could take twice as long and cost more.

MTA officials said the project would involve reconstructing nearly 3 miles of track; replacing 56 miles of signal, power and communications cables; and repairing two fan systems used to evacuate smoke from tunnels.

And those officials will be collecting comments (and expletives) from commuters and other stakeholders starting next month. The MTA's first public meeting to discuss the upcoming repairs is set for May 5 at the Marcy Avenue Armory, per Curbed.

So anyway, we likely won't be seeing that new L-train entrance on Avenue A until after all this. Say, 2022.

Thanks to Brandon Sines for the use of Frank Ape!

Hey, it's Primary day

The polls opened this morning at 6 for the New York primary today... (and they are open until 9 p.m.)

There have been some registration issues... which, combined with the interest in the races, "could cause long lines and major confusion at the polls," as Gothamist noted.

Anyone have any reports from the neighborhood polling places? Are the voting machines working? Any new dessert places open while you were in line?

Anyway, as noted earlier, you may watch the primary results tonight at La Plaza Cultural.

Report: The estate of Nicholas Figueroa files wrongful death lawsuit

The estate of Nicholas Figueroa, the 23-year-old recent college graduate who died last March in the Second Avenue explosion, has filed a wrong death lawsuit, The Real Deal reports.

The estate is suing the building’s owner, Maria Hrynenko and her son Michael, as well as the restaurant, contractors and plumbers who worked on the allegedly illegally-installed gas line, Con Edison, the city, Neighborhood Construction Corporation, Beta Plumbing & Heating and others.

The lawyer who is representing the estate said that the amount of damages sought has not yet been set. The suit was filed last week in New York State Supreme Court.

Authorities have said that siphoned gas at 121 Second Ave. is to blame for the explosion, which killed Figueroa and Moises Ismael Locón Yac, injured two dozen other people and destroyed three buildings.

On Feb. 11, the DA charged No. 119 and 121 landlord Maria Hrynenko and her son, Michael Hrynenko Jr., with involuntary manslaughter ... as well as contractor Dilber Kukic and an unlicensed plumber, Athanasios Ioannidis. (A fifth person, Andrew Trombettas, faces charges for supplying his license to Ioannidis.) All pleaded not guilty.

In early March, George Pasternak, the landlord of 123 Second Ave., put his vacant plot of land up for sale, asking $9.7 million.

Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updating] Explosion on 2nd Avenue and East 7th Street

RIP Nicholas Figueroa

A family continues to feel the loss on 2nd Avenue

Watch the primary results tonight at La Plaza Cultural

La Plaza Cultural is on the southwest corner of Avenue C and Ninth Street... the live viewing action kicks off at 7 p.m.

Coming and going on East 14th Street

We noted yesterday that a Pink Bear Ice Cream shop is opening at 226 E. 14th St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue... it's worth noting the recent turnover on this block... Pink Bear will be joined on the other side of the street by the new coffee shop Mr. Moustache, opening soon in the former Russian Souvenirs space.

As for closures... EVG regular KT noted the departure of Crystal Gallery Psychic Readings at No. 223...



...where the Marshal recently came calling...



As previously noted, Saving$ Paradise at No. 250 ... recently merged with IQ Decor a few storefronts to the west... (KT heard that the landlord at No. 250 is seeking a hefty rent increase...)





Other recent departures include Discount Cleaners at No. 230. They merged with another cleaners around the corner on Third Avenue.

Also, the former Dunkin' Donuts space at No. 218 is still available... DD moved a few storefronts away last August.

Hillary Clinton makes a campaign ice cream stop at Mikey Likes It on Avenue A

[Photo by dwg]

This afternoon, Hillary Clinton's NYC campaign trail took her to Mikey Likes It, the ice cream shop on Avenue A between East 12th Street and East 13th Street...

.@HillaryClinton tries a sundae (called "Victory") that Mikey created for her @MikeyLikesItNY: pic.twitter.com/PkrB76D69W

— Hannah Chanpong (@hannahfc) April 18, 2016

Updated 5:30

Meanwhile... EVG reader John Iz shares this photo of some young adults canvassing for Bernie Sanders on East 11th Street between Avenue B and Avenue C...

Pink Bear Ice Cream coming soon to East 14th Street

The coming soon signage is up at 226 E. 14th St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue...the storefront will be home to a Pink Bear Ice Cream Shop...



This will be Pink Bear's second location...the other is in Flushing.



There's not much info about the products at the Pink Bear Facebook page, just that their ice cream is made "with 100% fresh fruit. Tasty & Healthy!" They also advertise serving ice cream rolls.

This will be the second new shop serving rolled ice cream in the neighborhood... Lab 321, which will sell their variation of the traditional Thai street food, is opening at 27 St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.

As for the East 14th Street storefront, the space last housed Exodus 14, the sneaker consignment shop that quietly closed up earlier this year.

Retail space at historic 330 Bowery is for rent

Over at 330 Bowery (aka 54 Bond St.), the main retail space is now for rent inside the historic circa-1874 building at Bond Street.

RKF has the listing... no word on the rent for the three levels and 2,300 square feet...


[Click on image to go big]

Last fall, a John Barrett luxury hair salon, which also sold vintage Rolex watches priced to $30,000, opened here at the former Bouwerie Lane Theater.

That didn't work out well for a variety of reasons. This location was supposed be the first of many John Barrett salons across the country, at least according to this piece I found earlier this year at WWD:

Barrett and Jim Hedges, his business partner and chief executive officer of John Barrett Holdings LLC, are out to reinvent the business model of the luxury salon — making it more inviting, more finely curated, more retail-driven — while laying the groundwork for a string of units across the U.S. and beyond.

The Bowery and Bond Street location ... opened in October, as Barrett’s first step onto the New York scene beyond his original base at Bergdorf Goodman. But it was beset by physical disruptions and unexpected delays like street construction outside the windows, 12 days without water and noise from a Con Ed generator, which made it difficult to recruit the high-level hairdressers they needed at the salon along with their clientele.

“It has been a slow start,” Hedges acknowledged. But six new stylists are starting this year and “we have every confidence,” he said.

In February, Barrett reportedly fired Hedges "in the midst of a crowd of 30 or 40 people at the Bergdorf Goodman salon."

Anyway, there isn't a shortage of available storefronts nearby, such as the former Environment Furniture space ... and PYT and SRO Pizza ... and Patricia Field ... and Tatyana Boutique.

Previously on EV Grieve:
330 Bowery wrapped and ready

A look at 330 Bowery, now free of its sidewalk bridge

The storefronts for rent on the Bowery

Rapid progress at Stei town

And along Avenue A, construction continues at a brisk pace at Steiner East Village, the name of developer Douglas Steiner's incoming residential complex between East 11th Street and East 12th Street... the future 6-story (82 unit) building is now even with the neighboring buildings on the corner of 12th Street...



Prices for the condominiums at the site the former Mary Help of Christians property start at $1.1 million. Amenities include a 24-hour lobby concierge, 50-foot long pool, spa, gym, library, playroom, parking, and lush courtyard and rooftop gardens, a horse-drawn carriage and uniformed horseman for rides through Tompkins Square Park, and an underground shooting range.

Previously on EV Grieve:
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

Developer Douglas Steiner presents Steiner East Village

[Updated] A look at the rest of tonight's CB3-SLA meeting docket

[45-47 Avenue B]

CB3's SLA committee meeting is tonight 6:30 in the CB3 office, 59 E. Fourth St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery.

To date, we've look at several applicants:

• 98 Favor Taste, 37 St. Mark's Place

• Unnamed pizzeria, Avenue C and Eighth Street

• Vietnamese restaurant, 119 St. Mark's Place

• Desi Galli, 172 Avenue B

And one applicant we looked at is no longer on the agenda. The owners of the Brazen Fox had plans to open another bar-restaurant directly across the street from their current two-level bar-restaurant on Third Avenue and East 13th Street.




We do not know why they are a scratch from the meeting. In any event, this would be a tough sell... a full liquor license with a sidewalk cafe for a space (Gothic Cabinet Craft shop) that was not previously licensed within a saturated area... from applicants who already operate a successful space right across the street. Not sure what the public benefit is here.



And there was neighbor opposition to the application as well... based on the flyers on the block...



Meanwhile, here's a quick look at some of the other East Village applicants on tonight's meeting agenda...

Applications within Saturated Areas

• Fish Market Inc, 45 Ave B (wb)

A venture called Lamia's Fish Market is in the works for the long vacant storefront at 45 Avenue B between East Second Street and East Third Street. The questionnaire (PDF) on file for public viewing at the CB3 website shows a restaurant with 40 tables seating 160 people. The proposed hours are 4 p.m. to midnight Monday though Friday; 11 a.m. to midnight Saturday and Sunday.

Lamia Funti is the name of the applicant. Media outlets have identified her as the co-owner of Le Souk on La Guardia Place along with her husband Marcus Jacobs. He was reportedly an owner of Le Souk at 47 Avenue B... Le Souk was a years-long thorn in the side of neighbors, as widely reported here ... and here ... and here ... and here. In October 2009, the State Liquor Authority cancelled Le Souk's liquor license. (Read the SLA release here.)

Updated 4/19

The committee voted to deny the application. The Lo-Down has the details about the operators here.

• Baker's Pizza (Baker's Pizza LLC), 201 Ave A (wb)

The pizzeria that opened back in February between East 12th Street and East 13th Street is seeking a beer-wine license.

Sidewalk Cafe Application

• Lionsbeerstore (Beer Factory LLC), 104 2nd Ave

• Biang (Wen Zi Inc), 157 2nd Ave

The previous tenant at this address, Alder, had an eight-table, 16-seat sidewalk cafe.

New Liquor License Applications

• AGN Restaurant LLC, 166 1st Ave (op)

This is the former North River/Nite Owl space near East 10th Street. The owners of the Belfry on East 14th Street are looking to open a bar-restaurant here serving American comfort food, according to the questionnaire (PDF) on file at the CB3 website.

The proposed hours are 11:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. Sunday through Wednesday; until 4 a.m. Thursday through Saturday.

• Proto's Pizza (Fifty East LLC), 50 2nd Ave (wb)

Items not heard at Committee

• Virgola (Virgola 3 LLC), 221 Ave B (wb)

They were denied at the February meeting ... this will be the second Virgola location in the East Village.

• Dumpling Go (Dumpling 2 Avenue Inc), 188 2nd Ave (wb)

The restaurant has been closed for the past week. Looks like a renovation, though there aren't any signs for customers.

Time to get Sugared and Bronzed on 4th Avenue

Back in February, we noted that a branch of the Southern California-based Sugared+Bronzed salon was opening this spring at 114 Fourth Ave. at East 12th Street.

This location, the first in NYC for Sugared+Bronzed, opened on Friday.

For now, they are offering opening deals on airbrush tans and sugaring, which is a process where a technician uses a water-soluble sugar paste to extract unwanted hairs. Sources close to Sugared+Bronzed say that sugaring is much better than waxing. For unwanted hairs.



Previously on EV Grieve:
You will soon be able to get sugared and bronzed on 4th Avenue (16 comments)

Week in Grieview

[10th and A Friday evening by Grant Shaffer]

Stories posted on EVG this past week included...

Reports: Man shot and killed on East 12th Street outside Campos Plaza on Thursday night (Friday)

Bartender at Villa Cemita on Avenue A accused of sexual assault (Tuesday)

A celebration of Streit's Matzo Factory on Avenue A (Thursday)

U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara now looking into deed lift at 45 Rivington St. (Wednesday)

Dempsey's Pub closing after 24 years (Friday)

Mr. Moustache Coffee Shop signage arrives on East 14th Street (Tuesday)

Early-morning wake-up call courtesy of alarms at P.S. 64 (Wednesday)

Confectionery, a vegan chocolate shop and bakery, coming soon to 440 E. Ninth St. (Wednesday)

Iggy Pop in Tompkins Square Park (Wednesday)

The Bean apologizes after telling resident with respiratory illness to vacate its outdoor benches (Tuesday)

BP has closed on East Houston; 1 gas station remains below 14th Street in NYC (Friday)

City Council to hear gas safety legislation (Monday)

TakeMeHome Rotisserie Chicken looks to be closed (Wednesday)

114 E. 10th St. returns for a few million more (Thursday)

Desi Galli asset for long-empty 172 Avenue B (Monday)

First U.S. outpost of Michelin-starred Tim Ho Wan opening on 10th Street and Fourth Avenue (Thursday)

The Royal closes on Fourth Avenue (Monday)

4Knots Music Festival returns to the South Street Seaport this summer; Guided by Voices headline (Wednesday)

The Crocodile Lounge introduces its new clean, green awning (Monday)

There's finally a listing for the shuttered American Apparel space on East Houston and Orchard (Monday)

Capital One Café opens July 11 on Union Square (Wednesday)

Burglars help themselves to bottle service at Suffolk Arms (Monday)

Ian Schrager’s Public Hotel at 215 Chrystie St. will have plenty of places to drink and eat (Thursday)

Luxurified 55 Third Ave. now on the market for $65 million (Monday)

... and a photo of Adam Sandler from Wednesday on Avenue B at 14th Street ... after filming a scene for Noah Baumbach's new comedy "Yeh Din Ka Kissa," co-starring Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson and Ben Stiller..


[Photo by Robert Galinksy]

Noted

Spotted on a broken payphone (and future LinkNYC kiosk) on East 12th Street and First Avenue... there's more Dead Ringer tape on phones along East 11th Street...

Former East Village shop the Upper Rust is now open in Chelsea

[EVG file photo of East 9th Street location]

After 14 years on East Ninth Street at Avenue A, the antiques shop the Upper Rust packed up for a move to Chelsea back in February.

At the time, the owners didn't have a forwarding address... now they do. The new Upper Rust is open (as of Friday) at 120 W. 25th St. between Sixth Avenue and Seventh Avenue...



We do not know the reason why they left the East Village storefront. According to one previous tenant here, landlord Icon Realty either hasn't been renewing leases or offering new terms with unmanageable rent increases.

In any event, the former Upper Rust space has been on the rental market. According to the listing at Icon Realty's website, the asking rent is $16,500 per month for the roughly 900 square feet of space.


[Image via the Icon website]

Previously on EV Grieve:
The Upper Rust is moving away from East 9th Street and the East Village

The latest issue of The Shadow is now available

Look for NYC's only underground newspaper at the following locations:

• The Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space (MoRUS): 155 Avenue C
• Gem Spa: St. Mark's Place/Second Avenue
• East Village Books: 99 St. Mark's Place (Avenue A-First Avenue)
• Bluestockings: 172 Allen St. (Stanton Street)
• INK: 66 Avenue A (East Fourth - Fifth Streets)
• Unoppressive Non-Imperialist Bargain Books: 34 Carmine St.
• McNally Jackson: 52 Prince St.
• The Source: 331 East Ninth St.

The issue's cover art is by Danny Hellman.