Some additional context. The delayed closure of the L train is good news! 15 month closure instead of 19. https://t.co/fQEf1mocw1
— Second Ave. Sagas (@2AvSagas) March 17, 2017
Canarsie Tunnel closure now only 15 months instead of 1.5 years. Starts April 2019; better for L train riders all around
— Beth DeFalco (@BethDeFalco) March 17, 2017
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) will seek board approval next week to award an expedited contract to accelerate the rehabilitation of the L Subway train’s Canarsie Tunnel under the East River by three months, improve two stations, and build a substation that will allow more trains to run on the L Subway Line, increasing capacity. The contract award calls for the tunnel work to be completed in 15 months, three months shorter than the previously discussed 18 months.
The $477 million contract, to be awarded to a joint venture consisting of Judlau Contracting Inc. and TC Electric, also adds $15 million in incentives to complete the tunnel project in 15 months. Contractual provisions were included to expedite demolition, encourage acceleration of the tunnel work, deter delays, enable traffic mitigation work, and the testing and commissioning of systems.
Consistent with NYC Transit’s objectives to expedite critical capital projects and improve customer service, NYC Transit will also implement procedures to ensure that the project advances in a fast-tracked fashion similar to the expedited nature of Design Build projects.
“The heavy damage sustained by the Canarsie Tunnel during Superstorm Sandy requires a full reconstruction in order to ensure the integrity of the tunnel and the safety of riders for generations to come,” said MTA Interim Executive Director Ronnie Hakim. “At the same time, we promised to do everything possible to mitigate the impact of this vital work on l line riders, and today, we’ve done just that, by shortening the tunnel closure from 18 months to 15 months.”
The exhibition Hélène Binet – John Hejduk Works will present seven of Hejduk’s built works as photographed by Hélène Binet, a renowned London-based photographer who was Hejduk’s photographer of record. Binet’s photographs of both permanent and temporary structures will be presented, including the Berlin Tower, Wall House 2, The Collapse of Time, Security and Object/Subject.
The exhibition will also include a chronology of the numerous realizations of Hejduk’s design for the Jan Palach Memorial, which was permanently installed in Prague in 2016. Comprised of two structures — House of the Suicide and House of the Mother of the Suicide — this work honors the Czech activist and dissident Jan Palach, whose self-immolation in protest of the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 served as a galvanizing force against the communist government then in power.
Featuring 23 feet of frontage on Tompkins Square Park, 153 Avenue B is a rarely available grand and stately townhouse in the heart of the East Village.
Owned by the same family for nearly 60 years, this oversized brownstone stands five stories tall, is built 54’-deep, and is approximately 6,200 square feet. Features of this exceptional townhome include excellent width, period details, gracious ceiling heights, and sweeping views of Tompkins Square Park. Currently configured as five floor-through units, 153 Avenue B can be delivered vacant for single-family conversion, or operated as an investment property with a strong existing rent roll. Additional potential uses include condominium conversion in a surging East Village market or the potential to live with income.
Surrounded by charming cafes, trendy restaurants, and boutique shops, 153 Avenue B presents an incredible opportunity in a prime location. In a neighborhood that has seen rapid development and record prices, 153 Avenue B offers a charming glimpse into Manhattan real estate history.
Over the decades, past residents, according to the current owners, have included actress Marisa Tomei, music producer Hal Willner, and musician and composer Charles Mingus.
“On the night that Robert Kennedy was shot, for instance, Mingus rang our bell. I remember seeing this heavy-set man in tears, crying to my mother about how they shot Bobby, too. His longtime lover lived on the fifth floor of our building with her children — she must not have been home at the moment he stopped over."
The developers were seeking a more than 50 percent increase in the allowable height and a more than 25 percent increase in the allowable size of the planned development as compared to what the zoning allows for the site. But after GVSHP and dozens of neighbors turned out to oppose the zoning variance request at a Jan. 24 Board of Standards and Appeals (BSA) hearing, this week the developer submitted a revised application slashing the requested height and bulk variances by two-thirds, in anticipation of the next BSA hearing on March 28.
The developer is now requesting a 14.5 ft. increase in the allowable height of the building (restricted by zoning to a maximum height of 80 ft.), to allow the building to rise up to 94.5 feet. This is down from the 44 ft. increase requested in January, which would have allowed the building to rise up to 124 feet.
The developer is also now requesting a 10,000 sq. ft. increase in the allowable size of the development (restricted by zoning to a maximum of size of 103,800 sq. ft.), to allow the building to contain 113,929 sq. ft. This is down from a 27,550 sq. ft. increase in allowable size of the development requested in January, which would have allowed the building to contain 131,350 sq. ft.
