City Council unanimously approves tech hub; some disappointment in lack of zoning protections

City Council yesterday unanimously approved the mayor's plan for the 21-story Union Square Tech Training Center at the former P.C. Richard site on 14th Street at Irving Place.

This was the last stop in the approval process for the project, which is being developed jointly by the city’s Economic Development Corp. and developer RAL Development Service. The 240,000-square-foot building will feature Civic Hall, which will offer tech training for low-income residents, as well as market-rate retail and office space. (Last week, Microsoft reportedly provided a $100,000 grant for the planning and development of the Tech Training Center.)

The de Blasio administration proposed the so-called tech hub as part of the mayor's "New York Works" initiative, which they believe will create up to 600 jobs.

The vote yesterday came despite the pleas of some residents, activists, small-business owners and community groups who have long expressed concern that the rezoning necessary for the project would spur out-of-scale development on surrounding blocks.

District 2 City Council member Carlina Rivera emerged as a pivotal player in the tech-hub drama. As Crain's reported yesterday:

During her campaign, Rivera had promised to seek a separate rezoning for the surrounding neighborhood to establish height limits and, in some cases, cap commercial square footage in exchange for her support of the hub. The administration had balked at the idea of curtailing office space, and a compromise was expected to take the form of landmarking some buildings and requiring special permits for new hotel development.

In a statement to amNY, Rivera said: "I am voting yes today for a tech hub that will bring true community benefits, tech education, and workforce development services that will finally give women, people of color, and low-income New Yorkers access to an industry that has unfairly kept them out for far too long." (See below for a statement that Rivera sent her constituents yesterday afternoon.)

The Greenwich Village Society for Historical Preservation, which had lobbied for protections for the surrounding neighborhood as a component of the tech-hub plan, released this statement from executive director Andrew Berman:

The City Council's deal approves the Mayor’s Tech Hub with just a fraction of a fraction of the protections the surrounding neighborhood needs and called for, and which Council member Rivera promised to condition her vote upon. The approval of the Tech Hub will accelerate the transformation of the adjacent Greenwich Village and East Village neighborhoods into an extension of ‘Midtown South’ and ‘Silicon Alley,’ which many developers and real estate interests have already begun to call them. It’s a shame that the Mayor is so invested in protecting his real-estate donor friends that he would not consider real but reasonable zoning protections for the area that would have prevented this kind of unnecessary development, and encouraged residential development that includes affordable housing.

Here's reaction to the vote via Twitter...

Proud 2 work 4 a strong Latina - born & raised in the LES - who gave #District2 residents, especially our Black & Brown communities, workforce & training opportunities. It's not everyday a kid from the PJs can experience this reality but because of @CarlinaRivera it will happen.

— John M Blasco (@JBlascoNYC) August 8, 2018

Big thanks to NYC Councilwomen @CarlinaRivera for her leadership and support for @civichall's tech training center on14th St, which the council approved today. The community benefits will be substantial and long-term. #civictech

— Micah Sifry (@Mlsif) August 8, 2018

Really proud of my @NYCCouncil sister @CarlinaRivera. These things are NEVER easy but CR managed to thread the needle with skill & grace ensuring benefits reach the communities that need them most AND that the surrounding neighborhoods are protected. Boom. https://t.co/OSNDRalIcY

— Justin Brannan (@JustinBrannan) August 8, 2018

In particular, I need to thank my Councilwomen @CarlinaRivera for balancing the demands of facilitating @civichall's project, so that the TechHub will fulfill its mission of providing jobs training & activating civic engagement, while ensuring all her constituents can thrive. https://t.co/YwCjrdLGaC

— Jerry Weinstein (@tummler10) August 8, 2018

Many thanks to @CarlinaRivera’s leadership, @CivicHall’s Union Square project can begin to level the #tech playing field 🙏🏼🎉 #letsbuildtogether #civictech https://t.co/TC952X7aid

— Fiona Teng 鄧穎恆 (@feeteng) August 8, 2018

And ...

@CarlinaRivera You sold us out. I thought you were good on protecting our community.

— Susan Schindler (@SusanSchindler) August 8, 2018

The "local protections" are a fraction of a fraction of what we were fighting for, what we need, & what you promised to condition your vote upon. This will result in an acceleration of bad=out-of-character development in Greenwich Village+E. Village: https://t.co/2PhJeEDKKs

— GVSHP (@GVSHP) August 8, 2018

Give me a break. These "protections" are paltry. You sold out the community, and we won't forget it.

— Lloyd Bergenson (@dieterknickbock) August 8, 2018

Good bye my community! @CarlinaRivera @ydanis sold out our communities. Shame! Very disappointed! @Met_Council @GVSHP @NMN4S_NYC

— Kathy Wakeham (@WAKEHAMNYC) August 8, 2018

Shame on you, @CarlinaRivera. I voted for you because you promised to make zoning restrictions in our community your top priority. You did no such thing with your vote. Is this how you keep commitments to your constituents? https://t.co/8tsxY8xv6l

— daisy17 (@daisy17) August 9, 2018

And here's Rivera's letter — this link goes to the full version, which outlines her rationale for the yes vote...

Please read my letter to my community about today’s vote. The Tech Hub will build a bridge for our neighbors to great jobs & with local protections secured. We will continue working towards preservation & making our neighborhood stronger. https://t.co/rmIST9vZ3j pic.twitter.com/rZtyzMjXVE

— Carlina Rivera 利華娜 (@CarlinaRivera) August 8, 2018

Meanwhile, an EVG reader shared this photo from Tuesday... the reader reported that several of these flyers were posted near the 6 stop at Astor Place...

Sign of Fire & Water on 7th Street

Interior renovations continue over at 111 E. Seventh St., where East Village-based restaurateur Ravi DeRossi is expanding his vegan empire with Fire & Water here between Avenue A and First Avenue.

As Eater reported back in May, DeRossi will "veganize two cuisines at once — sushi and dim sum" with Fire & Water. The restaurant, next door to his Lady Bird tapas cafe, will feature a Japanese sushi counter with 16 seats as well as a Chinese dim sum cart service in a 36-seat section.

Representation of the Fire portion of the place arrived on the front window last week...





No word on a projected opening just yet.

This address has been a retail space in recent years — a showroom for furniture designer Todd Hase for one year and the Village Style Vintage Shop before that.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: Ravi DeRossi bringing Fire & Water to 7th Street

Beer and wine notice for Fire & Water on 7th Street

Cool for cats

Today was (is!) #InternationalCatDay ... and there were plentiful photos of cats to be found on social media.

Here's just one post, from the folks at the Anthology Film Archives over on Second Street and Second Avenue about their former house cat Max...

From 1990-2007, Anthology was home to this lovely cat named Max. One day she wandered into our alley and she never left. Max lived in our office, but she would wander about freely and rub up against visitors in our lobbies and theaters. A fan of foreign films and Brakhage (she sat through all of DOG STAR MAN and didn’t budge), she was a much-loved presence at Anthology for 17 years. We miss you Max! Photos by Robert Haller. #internationalcatday #cinemacat #film #newyork #lowereastside #eastvillage #cat #pet #film

A post shared by Anthology Film Archives (@anthologyfilmarchives) on Aug 8, 2018 at 2:06pm PDT

LPC OKs condoplex for gas explosion site on 2nd Avenue and 7th Street

[Rendering via Morris Adjmi]

The development team behind the proposed 7-story condoplex received approval from the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) yesterday for the empty lot at Second Avenue and Seventh Street — site of the deadly gas explosion in March 2015.

Last month, the LPC had a few suggestions for the Morris Adjmi-designed residential building with 21 condos and ground-floor retail. Chief among the asks: A commemorative plaque to be incorporated into the design that honors Moises Locón and Nicholas Figueroa, the men who died in the explosion.

Curbed has the report from yesterday:

The building’s facade is now a lot brighter than the previous iteration. In addition, the curvy corner windows have now disappeared and have now been replaced by the more traditional windows broken up by masonry that are more common to the East Village. In addition, Adjmi has also designed a plaque that would rest next to the retail space on the front facade of the building, facing Second Avenue.

The defendants in the case, including Maria Hrynenko, the former owner of No. 119 and 121, are due back in court on Sept. 6, according to court documents.



Previously on EV Grieve:
Exclusive: 2nd Avenue explosion sites have a new owner

Dedicating Moises Locón Way and Nicholas Figueroa Way on 2nd Avenue at 7th Street

Soil testing underway at the 2nd Avenue explosion site

Today in classic cars on Astor Place

EVG reader 8E shares this photo of a Lotus parked on Astor Place near Broadway...

AG announces details on how Croman tenants can receive restitution for harassment

Here’s what Croman tenants should know to apply for restitution: pic.twitter.com/Ic3rjMmoQN

— NY AG Underwood (@NewYorkStateAG) August 7, 2018

New York Attorney General Barbara D. Underwood yesterday announced that tenants who live or formerly lived in buildings owned by Steve Croman may now apply for restitution, as part of the $8 million settlement deal reached last December.

Here's part of the release from the AG's office:

The settlement arose out of an investigation and lawsuit filed by the Attorney General’s office against Croman for engaging in illegal conduct — including harassment, coercion, and fraud — in order to force rent-regulated tenants out of their apartments and convert their apartments into highly profitable market-rate units.

“This office has zero tolerance for predatory landlords who seek to line their pockets at the expense of their tenants’ wellbeing,” said Attorney General Underwood. “Now, Croman tenants will finally get the restitution and protections they deserve as a result of this unprecedented settlement — the largest-ever with an individual landlord. We will continue to do everything in our power to ensure landlords play by the rules, and pursue them to the fullest extent of the law when they don’t.”

The consent decree requires Croman to pay $8 million into a Tenant Restitution Fund – the largest-ever monetary settlement with an individual landlord. Tenants are eligible for restitution if they are or were a tenant in a rent-stabilized or rent-controlled apartment owned by Croman between July 1, 2011 and the date of the agreement (December 20, 2017); they received a buyout of less than $20,000, not including any amount that purported to cover rent or arrears; and no other tenant in their apartment received money from the restitution fund. Several hundred current and former tenants are potentially eligible to apply for these restitution funds.

This week, JND Legal Administration, the claims administrator, mailed claim notices and forms to current and former rent-stabilized and rent-controlled tenants in Croman’s buildings. Those forms and additional information are also available at www.cromanrestitutionfund.com.

The $8 million will be divided equally among eligible claimants and distributed to tenants in installments over a period of 38 to 42 months, with the first installment coming as soon as the claims administrator processes all of the first-round claim forms.

In addition to this $8 million Tenant Restitution Fund, the settlement requires that a new, independent management company run Croman's residential properties for five years. In June, the AG's office selected Michael Besen’s New York City Management to oversee Croman's real-estate empire, which includes 47 buildings with 617 units in the East Village.

Croman was released from the Manhattan Correctional Facility on June 1 after serving eight months of a one-year jail sentence and paid a $5 million tax settlement following separate criminal charges brought by the AG's office for fraudulent refinancing of loans and tax fraud.

Previously on EV Grieve:
AG's office: Steve Croman agrees to pay $8 million to the tenants he harassed

RIP Milton Ellison

You may have seen the small memorial that recently arrived on the northwest corner of Houston and Avenue B... it's for Milton Ellison, a familiar presence (very likely asking for change) at this spot through the years ...



A few more people added flowers to the site since EVG reader Romy Saplicki first shared this photo back on Friday...



On Saturday, another EVG reader met one of Milton's siblings who was paying his respects on the corner. He said that his brother had died from lung disease.

Ellison was the focal point of a Page 1 article from April 1992 in The New York Times titled "Gauging Threat of Recalcitrant TB Patients."

Ellison, then 34 and homeless, had tuberculosis, and he "repeatedly failed" to take the medicine that he needed.

So last month health officials took a step that they said was the only way to protect Mr. Ellison and the people around him: They detained him in Orange County and took him to a hospital where he was guarded by sheriff's deputies and shackled by wrist and ankle to his bed.

The article provided more background on Ellison.

Mr. Ellison said he grew up in the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn with four sisters and three brothers. He attended public school and spent one year in Brooklyn College studying liberal arts. He said he did not know how he got TB.

Doctors in Orange County said in court records that Mr. Ellison apparently tested positive for TB as a child but did not complete a nine-month preventive treatment with isoniazid or INH, the most common anti-tuberculosis drug. As an adult, he was treated for the disease as recently as last year but told doctors that he stopped taking medication after a week.

Over the last decade, Mr. Ellison has been in and out of psychiatric institutions, shelters and residential hotels. His misfortunes seemed tied to two unrelated events: He developed schizophrenia and his mother, with whom he lived, died. His father, a truck driver, had died earlier.

Ellison's brother told the reader that Milton had a room in subsidized housing on Pitt Street, and that he always had a good heart.

Updated:

Checking in on the condoplex where 1st Street meets 2nd Avenue

A quickie look at 24 Second Ave. (aka 32 E. First St.), where the 10-story condoplex continues shaping up on the lot of the former BP station...



Newish signage notes that this intersection of Second Avenue and First Street is inexplicably where Chrystie meets Bond...



Chrystie is close enough... but Bond is a few blocks to the west, as the arrow points out...



What this area needs is a good nickname — ChryBo? BonTie?

Anyway, as previously noted, the building will house 30 condos, with homes ranging from $1.125 million to $10.5 million along with ground-floor retail.

Previously on EV Grieve:
The 2nd Avenue BP station has closed

Permits filed to demolish former 2nd Avenue BP station

More about the 10-story building taking the place of the former BP station at 24 2nd Ave.

Check out the new 10-story building for the former 2nd Avenue BP station

A ballerina for 2nd Avenue

2nd Avenue residential complex now complete with renderings on the plywood

Citi Bikes with larger baskets are now roaming the streets

Citi Bike yesterday unveiled more than 100 new bikes with larger, three-sided baskets, as seen here docked outside Cooper Union.

Motivate, Citi Bike's (now former) parent company, reportedly tested the baskets with riders and received a positive response. They'll be standard on new bikes now, per Streetsblog.



Unlike the old design (done this way to prevent people from dumping garbage in them, as Streetsblog noted)...


[Image via Citi Bike]

... the larger size will likely make it easier to transport pizzas and, maybe, mattresses...


[Photo on St. Mark's Place from 2013 by Julius Klein]

Tuesday's parting shot

Thanks to James and Karla Murray for sharing this photo tonight... a lightning strike over the East Village...

Noted

Crews filming for season two of the HBO series "The Deuce" are learning about a common problem in the neighborhood ... an EVG reader spotted this sign on a trailer parked on Third Street and Avenue A...



It's a rather lyrical note ...

Please check your feet

Dog Poo !!!

All over the place

Thank you Timmy!!!

(Also, register to vote.)

Where to enjoy your National Night Out with the NYPD today

The NYPD is celebrating the annual National Night Out today... which is:

National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships to help make our neighborhoods safer, more caring places to live. It seeks to strengthen the relationship between neighbors and law enforcement, fostering a true sense of community.

The National Night Out-ing around here includes:

9th Precinct
321 E. Fifth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue

Time: 2-7 p.m.

Activities: Face painting, music, entertainment, refreshments, games for children, giveaways, crime prevention information

PSA 4
East Eighth Street between Avenue C and Avenue D

Time: 4-8 p.m.

Activities: Arts & crafts, games, petting zoo, bouncy house, refreshments, crime prevention information

And a Night Out flashback to 2013...


[Photo by Slum Goddess]

Signage arrives for East Village outpost of Sakagura

Over at 231 E. Ninth St., signage is up for Sakagura here between Second Avenue and Third Avenue ...



This former Robataya space will be the second outpost of Sakagura, which has been serving sake to New Yorkers since 1996 in Midtown.

Sakura Yagi, COO of the TIC Restaurant Group, confirmed the news in an email. "Customers will be able to enjoy selections from our renowned sake list as well as familiar, Sakagura-signature dishes as well as new dishes specific to our downtown location," she said.

Sakura and her father, Shuji Bon Yagi, operate a handful of nearby Japanese establishments, including Soba-ya, Curry-Ya, Rai Ken and Hi-Collar.

Expect a September opening date.

Robataya, which featured the robata technique of cooking proteins over a charcoal grill, closed at the end of 2017 after nine years in operation.

Lucky dog: Boris & Horton expanding on Avenue A

Workers are renovating the empty storefront at 195 Avenue A near 12th Street...



Boris & Horton, the dog friendly cafe next door, is taking over the space, which was Gabay's Outlet until the end of 2017.

The owners are on this month's CB3-SLA docket for the expansion. According to the questionnaire on file at the CB3 website, they are "expanding seating on dog side of cafe."

As previously noted, daughter-father co-owners Logan Mikhly and Coppy Holzman created three separate areas in the cafe, including an indoor seating area where dogs can go but food cannot be ordered (this appears to be the area to be expanded), and a cafe separated by plexiglass where dogs are forbidden per Department of Health rules.

Boris & Horton opened on Feb. 2.

The August CB3-SLA meeting is Aug 20 at 6:30 p.m. in the Perseverance House Community Room, 535 E. Fifth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

Nai Tapas Bar closes on 1st Avenue ahead of move to 2nd Avenue

As we first reported back on June 18, Nai Tapas Bar was moving this summer from its spot of eight years at 174 First Ave. between 10th Street and 11th Street to 85 Second Ave.

Nai closed after service on July 29 (H/T B+B). Signage for the previous occupant, Xunta, which decamped to Williamsburg in 2009, was revealed in the move out.

A letter to patrons on the Nai website points to a September reopening on Second Avenue...



The space on the southwest corner of Second Avenue and Fifth Street was previously home to Bareburger, which left for lower rents on Orchard Street in the spring.



Previously on EV Grieve:
Nai Tapas Bar moving from 1st Avenue to 2nd Avenue

Bareburger is leaving 2nd Avenue; new outpost slated for Orchard Street

Moving day for Bareburger

The Dessert Kitchen space is for rent on St. Mark's Place

A for rent banner recently arrived on the front window of The Dessert Kitchen at 94 St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue.

The shop, which relocated here last fall, is still in business, serving its variety of "homemade Asian-fusion-styled desserts from Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan."

The listing notes that possession can be arranged with notice of 30 to 60 days. Other listing comments include: "All uses considered" ... "Can be vented for cooking" ... and, obviously — "Motivated landlord."

The rent is available upon request.

Monday's parting shot

Just Christopher Meloni holding a chainsaw while filming a scene for the SYFY series "Happy!" on St. Mark's Place near Third Avenue... photo by Derek Berg.

The series is based on Grant Morrison and Darick Robertson's graphic novel. Meloni is Nick Sax, a former detective turned hired killer.

The red-tailed fledgling is having the most fun in Tompkins Square Park

The remaining red-tailed hawk fledgling continued to entertain Tompkins Square Parkgoers this past week... Steven shared these photos of Amelia and Christo's offspring at play the other day ... practicing his take offs and (crash) landings...





... and playing with a favorite toy — a piece of wood ...







... and Derek Berg caught the young hawk in flight...



Goggla has been documenting the fledgling here and here. She believes he hatched on or around June 1.

As she notes, "This fun time with the young hawk won't last long. As soon as he's able to fly and feed himself, he will venture off on his own to explore the world, so let's enjoy and admire him while we can."

EVG Etc.: More L-train shutdown talk; high praise for Bali Kitchen on 4th Street

[Photo in Tompkins Square Park yesterday by Derek Berg]

Tonight: MTA hosting public meeting on environmental impact of the L-train shutdown (WNYC)

A visit to Bali Kitchen on Fourth Street. "It’s a boon not only to the neighborhood, but to a city that, despite its wide-ranging dining options, only has about a dozen or so restaurants devoted to Indonesian cuisine." (The Village Voice)

CNN will air the remaining "Parts Unknown" episodes this fall, including the one Anthony Bourdain filmed in the East Village and Lower East Side (Los Angeles Times... previously)

Mighty Quinn's BBQ, which opened on 2nd Avenue and 6th Street in 2013, launching franchise opportunities to take brand nationwide (QSR — H/T Eater)

City cooling centers are open (NYC.gov)

Former East Village chef busted again for exposing himself to a subway rider (The Post)

Ghost signage on the Bowery (Ephemeral New York)

Screenings of Dennis Hopper's fever-dream "The Last Movie" from 1971 — also in a new digital restoration (Metrogaph ... "one of the great lost films of the 1970s")

...and tomorrow, East Village-based singer-songwriter Riley Pinkerton releases her debut full-length album, "Nothing Ever Is." She and her band are playing a record-release party at the Mercury Lounge tomorrow night with Mother Feather...

A post shared by Riley Pinkerton (@riley.pinkerton) on Jul 11, 2018 at 1:48pm PDT

Chelsea Thai debuts on 1st Avenue

[Photo by Lola Sáenz]

Chelsea Thai, a longtime favorite in that neighborhood, opened in its new home at 192 First Ave. between 11th Street and 12th Street back on Friday.

Founder-chef Saruj Nimkarn (pictured above) relocated here after 21 years in the Chelsea Market. (He closed that space in January.)

You can find the menu (PDF!) here.

This Instagram post from January 2017 has more about Nimkarn...

Meet the owner of Chelsea Thai at Chelsea Market. Saruj Nimkarn is the founder,owner and head chef of Chelsea Thai. He grew up in Bangkok Thailand and came to the US when he was a teenager. He then decided that he wanted to bring a taste of his home to the states and opened up this restaurant so he could share his favorite comfort foods with all of us. One of the first restaurants in Chelsea Market, Chelsea Thai will be celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.

A post shared by Chelsea Thai (@chelsea__thai) on Jan 16, 2017 at 5:39am PST

Previously on EV Grieve:
Chelsea Thai coming to former Neptune space on 1st Avenue; Filipino fare for Avenue A