Asian Taste opens on 3rd and B

Tasty Asian debuted yesterday on the northwest corner of Avenue B and Third Street...



An EVG reader shared these photos... the reader also confirmed that the quick-serve restaurant is from the same family who ran the previous establishment here — China Wok, which closed in early December after an alleged rent increase.

There's an expanded selection of items at similarly reasonable prices as China Wok, per the reader.



Meanwhile, in another stunning noteworthy development, EVG regular Salim points out that the legendary exhaust fan on the Third Street side is gone...



Previously on EV Grieve:
The Asian Taste awning has arrived on 3rd and B; China Wok redux?

Wednesday's parting shots

Derek Berg spotted Arnie Charnick touching up his mural — Luncheonette Life, circa 1982 — outside Veselka on Ninth Street and Second Avenue today...

Say hello

As Goggla reported last Tuesday, red-tailed hawks Amelia and Christo have two chicks in the nest this spring in Tompkins Square Park.

Steven spotted one of the chicks alert and peering out from the nest this afternoon... perhaps getting familiar with his/her future hunting grounds...

Report: RGB gives nod to rent increase; final vote coming June 25

[Image last night via @StabilizingNYC]

In a preliminary vote (5-4) last night, the Rent Guidelines Board (RGB!) recommended a .5 to 2.75 percent increase for one-year leases and a 1.5 to 3.75 percent hike for two-year leases in rent-stabilized apartments, according to published reports.

As The Real Deal reported, the board rejected two proposals:

The landlord representatives on the board — Patti Stone, an attorney with Rosenberg & Estis, and Scott Walsh, a Forest City alum — voted against both winning proposals, having pushed for increases ... of 3.75 percent to 5.75 percent for one-year apartment leases and 4.75 to 6.75 percent for two-year leases.

And...

The board also voted down a proposal from tenant representatives, which included a rent rollback ranging from .5 (which is a decrease) to 0 percent on one-year leases and a 0 to 1 percent increase on two-year leases.

Last year, the board approved increases of 1.5 percent (one-year leases) and 2.5 percent (two-year leases).

The board's preliminary vote took place inside "a packed and contentious" Great Hall at Cooper Union.

The final RGB vote is set for June 25, but not before a series of public hearings (list here). Increases in rent would take hold in October.

Meanwhile, expect more rent drama in the weeks ahead. As City Limits reported yesterday:

New York is on the verge of big changes to its rent regulations, with the state legislature likely to vote on reforms before the June 15 sunset date for the current rent law. One topic of profound disagreement between tenant advocates and property owners is preferential rents.

Read more about the State's expiring rent laws over at Gothamist and Curbed.

Countdown to the Dance Parade and DanceFest

The 13th annual Dance Parade (and DanceFest!) is coming up this May 18. This year's theme: "Movement of the People."

A few quick details: The parade begins at 1 p.m. at 21st Street and Broadway, and will feature live bands, DJs and a lot of dancers — more than 80 styles of dance and nearly 200 groups. (This link has a list of all the participants.)

And as always, the parade winds up in Tompkins Square Park... where DanceFest 2019 happens from 3-7 p.m. "with choreographed performances, dance lessons, aerial and social dance – on five stages, all free to the public."



Will leave you with the 2019 preview video...

Winning projects revealed in District 2's Participatory Budgeting vote

In late March, local City Councilmember Carlina Rivera kicked off Council District 2’s first-ever round of Participatory Budgeting (PB) voting.

PB allows for residents to decide how to spend capital funds, allocated by the Councilmember, for community improvements.

And yesterday, she revealed the winning projects (there were 11 total on the ballot):

• Countdown clocks along the M9, M14A, and M14D bus lines
• Science mobile carts for P.S. 34, 730 E. 12th St.
• Street resurfacing throughout the District
• Gym renovations at P.S. 188/Girls Prep, 442 E. Houston St.
• An accessible lift at P.S. 40, 320 E. 20th St.

Rivera said that the PB cycle ended with nearly 4,800 votes.

"I was very proud to see our community so involved in what really is civic engagement at its best, where district residents as young as 11 directly decided how some of their taxpayer dollars would be spent in their community," she said in her May newsletter released yesterday.

Once again, everyone's favorite 14th Street triplex with a garage door for a wall is back on the market

[EVG file photo]

Hey, your favorite floor-through condominium triplex with a fully retractable second floor façade/wall that flips open like a garage door overlooking 14th Street is back on the market!

The home (in the building "Brownstone East Village"), which has been on and off and on the market and delighted EVG readers for years, is again for sale. Again.



To refreshen your memory, here are details via the listing that arrived the other day on Streeteasy for 224 E. 14th St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue:

This one of a kind architectural gem was thoughtfully created to seamlessly combine indoor and outdoor living in the heart of Manhattan's East Village ... #1 is a triplex 2-bedroom, 2.5 bathroom home with nearly 2,000 interior sq. ft. and 500 exterior sq. ft. Fully experience all four seasons in this remarkable residence boasting 2 fully retractable walls operated like garage doors which open and rise and neatly conceal with the touch of a button.

Upon entry to the main floor, the home office features a floor-to ceiling window with a custom ornately designed metal screen. Beyond the foyer, a sleek open kitchen with a massive center island is fully equipped with top of the line Viking appliances including dishwasher, vented cooktop, oven, and 36-inch Subzero refrigerator. The custom white lacquered cabinetry and countertops adhere to the contemporary aesthetic providing a serene backdrop to the coveted garden oasis.

Continue to the 500 square foot entertainer's dream through the automated retractable wall offering seamless indoor-outdoor transition. The cabana-like outdoor kitchen and bar possess all the contemporary luxuries complete with grill, sink, and cold storage.

And some shots of the interior ...









Anyway, the asking price now is $2.79 million. Hurry, probably won't be back on the market for another year or so!

Previously on EV Grieve:
Everyone's favorite 14th Street triplex with a garage door for a wall is back on the market

Construction watch: 809 Broadway

Here's an updated look at 809 Broadway between 11th Street and 12th Street.

You'd never know that this was once the longtime home — until 2013 — to Blatt Billiards, a pool table manufacturer that had owned and occupied the building since 1972.



Blatt principals Ronald Blatt and Bruce Roeder reportedly sold the building to 809 Broadway Holding LLC, a partnership of three private investors led by its principal Ariel Rom.

Anyway, the new No. 809 — 10 floors stacked on top of the previous five-story structure — will house 10 luxury condos, including a triplex penthouse on the top floors.

ODA-Architecture describes the project like this:

Situated on a diagonal segment off Broadway, Lot 809 stands like a totem indicating the visual entrance to Union Square. The neighborhood’s characteristic street scape is extended to the building’s façade by stacking and shifting the floor plates, thereby creating enlarged spaces, and protected outdoor terraces.

Here's a rendering of the totem, once completed...



Meanwhile, on the southwest corner of Broadway and 11th Street, the circa-1853 St. Denis Hotel building has been wiped out...



... and one day joining the totem on this Broadway skyline...


[Binyan Studios]

Previously on EV Grieve:
'Concrete blowout' at Broadway condo project damages neighboring building

See the She NYC Arts Summer Theater Festival on 4th Street this June

Here's some info via the EVG inbox...

She NYC Arts will present the third annual She NYC Arts Summer Theater Festival, featuring eight new full-length shows by women writers and composers, June 19-30 at The Connelly Theater on Fourth Street.

Now in its fourth year, the 2019 She NYC Arts Summer Theater Festival is the city's premiere spot for presenting the best work by up-and-coming women writers and composers. The 2019 Festival will showcase 8 new full-length plays and musicals, including a New Play Residency in which a returning writer will build an entirely new piece from scratch.

In addition, She NYC Art's new educational program, CreateHer, will present staged readings of four new short plays written and produced by high school students.

Tickets ($20) are now on sale at this link. The Connelly Theater is at 220 E. Fourth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

Signup for the Washington Square CSA ends June 1

The folks from the long-running Washington Square CSA reached out to let us know that the deadline to sign up for their Summer 2019 CSA season is June 1. (Note: this date was extended. It was previously May 10.)

They have pickups in the East Village at St. Marks Church-in-the-Bowery every Tuesday from 4-8 p.m. Their offerings include various organic fresh vegetables ... and several additional ad-ons, including fruits, meats and cheeses.

This link has more details ... and this link has info on the shares.

11 Avenue C finally makes first appearance above street level

Over on East Houston at Avenue C we have the first above-ground sighting of the longtime-coming 11 Avenue C...



Work has really picked up here of late in this triangular lot (the former Mobil station) ...







Foundation work started in December 2016. And now, in May 2019, the first level is just visible over the plywood.

This has been a disruptive build to date, as neighbors have said. There were multiple complaints filed with the city in early 2017 about the construction possibly destabilizing the building next door — 249 E. Second St. There was a partial stop-work order issued in April 2017 when No. 249 reportedly shifted.

The city OK'd plans for a 10-story, mixed-use building with 46 residential unit in December 2016.

Here's a look at the plywood rendering...



Rotwein + Blake are the architects of record. Here's more about 11 Avenue C/350 E. Houston St. via their website:

The narrow triangular site, presented numerous challenges from its odd shape to zoning constraints, Rotwein+Blake crafted a well thought-out solution to maximize potential development opportunity for the client. At ten stories, the building will have 4,600 SF of ground level retail, 46 residential apartments and a landscaped roof terrace.

The buildings retail component engages the more lively Houston Street side on a pedestrian level, with an abundance of storefront glass, awnings and stone details, while the residential entrance on 2nd Street, creates a more private and embracing gesture. The brick and zinc façade blend a modern twist to a historic warehouse style, reminiscent of the now, chic residential adaptive reuse projects of Soho and Tribeca.

The plywood rendering states the project's completion date as March 2018.



Previously on EV Grieve:
You have a little longer to get gas on Avenue C

Plans filed for new 9-story building at site of Mobil station on East Houston and Avenue C

State seizes Mobil station on Avenue C and Houston for nonpayment of taxes

New residential building for former Mobil station lot will be 10 floors with 0 zero affordable units

A look inside the last East Village gas station

Pile driving for new building on Avenue C prompts arrival of crack monitors next door

Hamilton Fish Park Library will operate with limited services during upcoming AC renovations

The Hamilton Fish Park Library will be open with reduced service starting on May 21 while the branch on East Houston at Columbia Street receives an upgrade to its air cooling system.

Here's part of the advisory via the EVG inbox...

Utilizing temporary air conditioning units, the Library will maintain a small portion of the branch throughout the summer for patrons to pick up and return materials. The Library will close for four days on May 17 to reconfigure the space.

The branch at 415 E. Houston St. will return to full service on Sept. 20.

Hamilton Fish Park Library is slated to receive a full renovation, which includes the installation of a new heating and cooling system.

Per the advisory, library officials recommend that patrons use the Ottendorfer branch on Second Avenue between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street or the Mulberry Street Library for their programming needs during this service change. (There wasn't any mention of the Tompkins Square branch on 10th Street.)

Lord, what fools these mortals be! A pop-up Shakespearean-themed restaurant for Broadway

Through the forest have I gone.
But Athenian found I none,
On whose eyes I might approve
This flower's force in stirring love.
Night and silence. Who is here?

Table for two?

Community Board 2 tonight will hear a proposal for a new liquor license for 827 Broadway between 12th Street and 13th Street.

EVG reader Gregg spotted the flyer along Broadway. The applicant is Fierce Little LLC, a production company planning to use the space — the former NU New York — to host their own version of "A Midsummers Night's Dream" titled "Midsummer: A Banquet."



Gregg did a little digging and found a casting call for this short-term production that opens July 27 and closes Sept. 8 (with the possibility of an extension promised).

And sleep, that sometime shuts up sorrow's eye,
Steal me awhile from mine own company.

Now Would you like to hear tonight's specials?

Here's more info via the casting call from last month:

This is a movement-heavy immersive production in which actors handle food. We are seeking a diverse cast of actors who have both significant experience, training, and ease with Shakespeare, formal voice and speech training, and a strong background in contemporary dance or movement, specifically experience with contact improv, weight sharing, and partnering.

Seeking the following 8 roles, plus 2 understudies (1 male, 1 female)

HERMIA/OTHERS: A young lover, female, any race/ethnicity, must be short
HELENA/OTHERS: A young lover, female, any race/ethnicity, must be tall
LYSANDER/OTHERS: A young lover, male, any race/ethnicity.
DEMETRIUS/OTHERS: A young lover, male, any race/ethnicity.
HIPPOLYTA/TITANIA: This role is pre-cast. Both are queens (one an Amazon Queen the other a Fairy Queen). Any race/ethnicity/age. 20-60 years old,
THESEUS/OBERON: Royal men (one a Duke the other a King), 20-60 years old, any race/ethnicity.
NICK BOTTOM/OTHERS: A weaver and over the top amateur actor. Male. Any age, race, ethnicity.
ROBIN GOODFELLOW/OTHERS: A mischievous sprite. Any gender, age, race, ethnicity.

O me, you juggler, you canker-blossom, you thief of love!

Now here is your check.

All this sounds like it could be spectacular — in a good and bad way.

My Oberon, what visions have I seen!
Methought I was enamored of an ass.

Sorry, but we do not accept American Express.

A quick look inside the former Grassroots Tavern

[20 St. Mark's Place as seen last week]

The door was open yesterday at the former Grassroots Tavern, 20 St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.

EVG Open Door Correspondent Steven looked inside the under-renovation space...



For starters, a good chunk of the long bar is currently MIA ...



Otherwise, the place doesn't look too different, with that fall-through-the-floor-at-any-moment vibe intact! (We kid because we loved the Grassroots.)

No one was around to ask about the status of the work inside this landmarked building.

A quickie recap on what's going on here: Approved permits are on file for repair work in the lower retail space, the longtime home of the Grassroots until New Year's Eve 2017.

As we've been reporting, Bob Precious is planning on opening a bar in this semi-subterranean space with a working title of Subterranean. (Precious operates the mini chain of Irish-style pubs called the Ginger Man, including the one on 36th Street. CB3 OK'd his new liquor license in December 2017.)

Precious said last August that the former Grassroots space was in bad shape — including structural damage. The approvals for the renovations in the landmarked building had been slow going. (In November, Previous was hoping for a spring opening.)

20 St. Mark's Place, known as the Daniel LeRoy House, was built in 1832. It received landmark status in 1971, and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

Previously on EV Grieve:
New owner lined up for the Grassroots Tavern on St. Mark's Place

20 St. Mark's Place, home of the Grassroots Tavern, has been sold

Last call at the Grassroots Tavern

The #Rethinklink campaign

If you've walked past a LinkNYC kiosk the past two weeks, then you've likely seen one of the variety of flyers attached to them... (thanks to everyone who has passed along photos, like Eden, Steven, Marjorie and Helaine!)



These started showing up everywhere — a la Looking for a Girlfriend guy flyers — after the arrest of a man for smashing LinkNYC kiosks a few weeks ago... and the revelation that the kiosks are equipped with (security) cameras...

🚨Apprehended🚨for CRIMINAL MISCHIEF that occurred within the confines of Midtown South and Midtown North Precincts. #midtown #manhattan @NYPDMTS @NYPDMTN Has been Apprehended thanks to the hard work of our #nypd #nypddetective #media and concerned #newyorker like you! pic.twitter.com/hKVXFW25RF

— NYPD Crime Stoppers (@NYPDTips) April 24, 2019

There's a @RethinkLinkNYC Twitter account too.

And you can find the flyers in other parts of the city as well...

Spotted outside of a LinkNYC in Water St. in Manhattan. Public infrastructure should not be surveillance based. 💯 #RethinkLink + @ZephyrTeachout. pic.twitter.com/x5WUfSRzdA

— Jeremy Rosenberg 🏳️‍🌈🦄 (@JeremyR1992) May 6, 2019

#rethinklink street campaign. I wrote about LinkNYC in #PixelsAndPlace. The kiosks are an almost-good idea, offering open WiFi and digital services, but the surveillance implications of the built-in cameras – and the lack of clarity about what happens to the data – are troubling. pic.twitter.com/YCT4tTeADh

— Kate O'Neill (@kateo) May 3, 2019

Monday's parting shot

A shot of the new Punjabi Grocery & Deli awning over at 118 E. First St. ... thanks to Vinny & O for the photo!

Report: 10 teens hospitalized after someone tossed chemical from above during party at First Houses

Police are investigating a high school party that turned ugly when someone at the First Houses reportedly tossed a chemical substance from above onto the crowd, sending at least 10 teens to the hospital for minor burns.

According to The New York Times (the story was also picked up by the Associated Press), as many as 300 teens were at the party in a rented basement room at First Houses, the public housing complex on Third Street between Avenue A and First Avenue.

Partygoers paid $10 to enter a basement room usually reserved for tenant meetings.

To the Times:

The music was blasting as the crowd, which included teenagers from an elite public high school in Brooklyn, spilled into the courtyard. Barely an hour had passed before residents of the development ... called the police at about 10 p.m.

But someone upstairs had decided to do something about it. White paint and a caustic chemical were poured from overhead, burning at least 10 of the teenagers in the courtyard, the police said on Sunday.

And...

Valerie Vail, the mother of one victim, said many partygoers were students at Brooklyn Technical High School, including her daughter, a sophomore who she said was attending her first party as a student there. The attack left the girl with burns the size of dimes and quarters on her back, chest and arms, Ms. Vail said.

She said her daughter had shown her photos of other partygoers who had large burns across their chests, necks and legs.

After the paint and chemicals rained down, some partygoers rushed the East Third Street building’s front door and attempted to force their way in, slamming their fists against the door’s glass panes, cracking one, said Michael Strachan, 60, who lives in the building.

There is an unconfirmed report that a man who lived in the building "appeared to have thrown an orange-colored drain cleaner on the crowd below." Some of the injured teens ran to a nearby deli and poured milk onto the burns.

Tenants told the Times that they do not believe the party host lived in the building.

Report: Preservationists want probe of the tech hub deal on 14th Street

[Photo from Saturday]

The Village Preservation (GVSHP) is calling for a probe of the "sweetheart deal" that the developer of the tech hub received on 14th Street.

As the Daily News first reported yesterday, the GVSHP explored the paperwork behind the project, pointing out that the developer, RAL Development Services, will pay $1.6 million a year for the first five years ... then $2.3 million annually in the five years after that while the previous tenant, P.C. Richard & Son, paid $1.7 million in annual rent for the two-story building.

GVSHP Executive Director Andrew Berman told this to the News:

"It seems highly suspect that the developer of a 21-story office tower is paying barely more than the operator of a 2-story appliance and electronics store for use of this incredibly valuable land. This is and has been from the beginning a sweetheart deal for political allies of and donors to the mayor. There was absolutely no transparency to the process by which RAL were chosen to get this incredibly valuable piece of public land for a song."

And...

Berman pointed to a lack of any documented evaluations of bids on the development deal, which is supported by the results of Freedom of Information requests made by his group to the city’s Economic Development Corporation. In response to a request for notes, ratings or a scoring sheet regarding the selection of RAL over several other applicants, EDC responded that it located "no responsive records."

The GVSHP also found through campaign finance records that Andrew Rasiej, CEO of Civic Hall — RAL’s partner in the development — donated at least $8,000 to Mayor de Blasio since 2004. Meanwhile, RAL was also supportive of de Blasio's now-defunct nonprofit Campaign for One New York, giving at least $10,000 in 2015, as the News reported.

And the city's response? "The best applicant was chosen," Jane Meyer, a spokesperson for the Mayor, told the News, adding that the donations had nothing to do with RAL's selection.

As for more background, it took nearly nine months for the proposed tech hub — now called the Union Square Tech Training Center — to wind through the city’s Uniform Land Use Review Procedure, culminating with the City Council's OK last August. (A rezoning was required to build the the 22-story structure, which is larger than what current commercial zoning allows.)

The Department of Buildings approved the permits for the new structure on Feb. 26, just three months after they were first filed.

Construction work was expected to start in this first quarter of 2019, per the 14th @ Irving website. But first, the former P.C. Richard & Son outpost was to be demolished. (The 14th @ Irving website now states that "site mobilization and protection" will start today.)

The project is being developed jointly by the city’s Economic Development Corp. and RAL. The Union Square Tech Training Center includes Civic Hall, which will offer digital skills for low-income residents, as well as market-rate retail, office space and a food hall.

Mayor de Blasio first unveiled the renderings publicly in February 2017.

I asked Berman what he hopes the next steps are after the disclosure in the News yesterday.

"My hope is that there would be some sort of review of the process by which this bidder was chosen, whether or not it was based on the merits and in the best interests of the people of the City of New York," he said in an email.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Behold Civic Hall, the high-tech future of Union Square — and NYC

Speaking out against a 'Silicon Alley' in this neighborhood

P.C. Richard puts up the moving signs on 14th Street; more Tech Hub debate to come

Preservationists: City schedules next public hearing on tech hub without any public notice

City Council's lone public hearing on the 14th Street tech hub is tomorrow

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

The conversation continues on the now-approved tech hub for 14th Street

1st signs for the future tech hub arrive on 14th Street; more details emerge about 14th @ Irving

New building permits pre-filed for the (slightly larger) tech hub on Union Square

City OKs new building permits for mayor's tech hub on 14th Street

The Blind Pig is closing on 14th Street following 50% rent hike

[Image via TripAdvisor]

The Blind Pig, the sports bar (home to Arsenal supporters in the English Premier League), will close on May 18 after 13 years in service.

Ownership made the announcement on Facebook this past weekend.

In the comments, the owners said that "the lease is finished and the landlord bumped the rent 50 percent" in the storefront here at 233 E. 14th St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue. (Public records list the landlord as the Berliza Corp.)

And here's the full post from the Blind Pig:

To our friends and loyal guests,
It is with a heavy heart that Blind Pig must close our doors for the final time.

For the past 13 years we have been a part of this community and you have supported us through good times and bad.

For that you have our everlasting thanks. We hope we have reciprocated by providing you with a comfortable place to meet friends, unwind and grab a great burger and a cold beer.

We will miss this moving forward but its not over yet. Come say goodbye as we wind down 'the Pig' and make sure no beer gets left behind. Our last day will be May 18th, 2019.

Finally we would like to give a special thanks to our staff who over the years have been the real heart of Blind Pig. We wish you all the best and hope to see you for a final beer.

Cheers,
The Blind Pig Team

Updated noon: There's a Loopnet listing for the space. The asking rent is $300,000 annually. (H/T Steven!)

Thanks to Vinny & O for the tip!

Tea time for 2nd Avenue and 5th Street

Signage is up for the new tenant at 300 E. Fifth. at Second Avenue — Spiritea (thanks to Carol from East 5th Street and Derek Berg for the tip!) ...



This is the second outpost for the fruit-and-milk tea shop, whose first location is in Richmond outside Vancouver (one is also opening in Irvine, Calif.).



A local food site had this to say about the location that opened in late 2018 in Richmond, B.C.:

What sets Spiritea apart from other tea shops is that they brew all of their teas on the spot in a special Teapresso machine. They use premium tea leaves, fresh fruit, Avalon Dairy organic milk and pure cane sugar made in France. Their focus is to provide the freshest and highest quality ingredients without the use of artificial fruit syrups or powders.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by SPIRITEA DRINKS (@spiriteadrinks) on Jan 7, 2019 at 3:42pm PST

Signage here points to an opening this month.

Workers have been renovating this corner space, which was Mary Ann's for years before the Mexican restaurant morphed into Dahlia's.

The storefront has sat empty since 100% Healthy Blend (or maybe just Healthy Blend) closed after three months in November 2016.