Reader report: Icon Realty new owner of 57 Second Ave.

[Image via Massey & Knakal]

The 10-story building at 57 Second Ave. between East Third Street and East Fourth Street hit the market last November for $30 million.

Now a resident writes in: "On Friday, we all received a letter attached to our doorknobs that our new landlord is T&T Realty Management, but their email address is from Icon Realty." (We didn't spot the transaction just yet in public records.)

And in a separate comment that someone left yesterday on the post from November:

"They want names, birthdates and more info from occupants. The big story for this building hasn't been written yet. Buyouts are my guess."

We hear that 28 of the 33 units are currently occupied ... and all tenants are either in rent-stabilized or rent-controlled units.

Meanwhile, the original sales listing noted that the two retail tenants — Alex Shoe Repair and Allied Hardware — were on a month-to-month lease, paying roughly $38 a square foot "in an area that commands rents in excess of $150/SF."

According to the building tipster, the family who owns the hardware store has already been handed vacate orders.

Previously on EV Grieve:
57 Second Ave. hits the market for $30 million

Security guards and Stop Work Orders for Icon Realty-owned East 12th Street building

At 205 Avenue A, where the NYPD stops by 'almost every weekend'

Happy holidays from 128 Second Ave.

Interior demolition continues at the former Yaffa Cafe, soon to be home to a Portuguese restaurant

A crew has been working this past week (or so) at the former Yaffa Cafe at 97 St. Mark's Place, where there are approved permits for interior demolition of the space.

An EVG tipster passed along the above photo from yesterday, showing some of the Cafe's former contents piling up out back.

Last month, CB3 OK'd a beer-wine license for the owners of St. Dymphna's, the neighborhood pub at 118 St. Mark's Place, to open a restaurant here between Avenue A and First Avenue.

We don't know too much about the new concept just yet. However, according to the minutes (PDF!) from the January CB3 meeting:

• it will operate as a full-service Portuguese restaurant, with a kitchen open and serving food during all hours of operation
• its hours of operation will be 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Sundays through Fridays and 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays
• it will not commercially operate any outdoor areas

Yaffa Cafe closed after 32 years last fall, in part because the legality of the back garden came into question.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Yaffa Cafe is officially gone; back garden dismantled

More about Yaffa Cafe closing

St. Dymphna's owners look to take over the former Yaffa Cafe space on St. Mark's Place

Hummus Place closed for renovations on St. Mark's Place

The chickpea specialists at 109 St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue closed yesterday ... the sign on the door notes they are closing for renovations...



There isn't any mention of a temporary closure on their website or social media properties. A call to the restaurant yields a "voice mailbox full" message.

Hummus Place expanded into the adjacent storefront back in April 2009.

Washington Heights tapas outpost aiming for former Cafe Cambodge/Arcane space on C

[EVG file photo]

Marcha Cocina in Washington Heights is on the February CB3/SLA committee agenda to open an outpost at the former Cafe Cambodge/Arcane space at 111 Avenue C near East Seventh Street.

According to paperwork (PDF!) on file ahead of next Monday night's meeting, the applicants are proposing hours of noon to midnight from Sunday through Thursday, and noon to 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. The restaurant configuration shows 19 tables accommodating 38 people and a 10-seat bar.

Here's what Time Out said about Marcha Cocina, located at Broadway and 171st Street:

Named after Spanish slang for “nightlife,” this Washington Heights tapas joint is geared toward hungry night owls, with modern Spanish small plates and cocktails until the witching hour. Slip into a sunny yellow banquette for bites like cocas (Catalan flatbread) layered with serrano ham and wild mushrooms, chicken-and-plantain-stuffed croquettes and crispy shrimp dipped in smoked paprika aioli.

Cafe Cambodge opened here in February 2014 ... after the owners revamped the space from its 6-year run as Arcane.

Another pizza-random-food-item place has apparently closed at 35 1st Ave.

Looks as if that's it for Stars, the latest operation to try making a go of 35 First Ave. following Empire Pizza II, IL Gusto Italiano and Farid's Middle Eastern Grill Food & Pizza, among others.

EVG regular Spike notes that the Marshal recently paid a visit to the establishment between East Second Street and East Third Street...



Aside from pizza, Stars offered gyros, kebab platters, Philly cheesesteaks, grilled chicken, hamburgers, turkey burgers, etc.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Another pizza concept, awning for 35 First Ave.

Today

Photo via Rob & Mike

London calling

Map of the London Underground in the trash on Second Avenue and East 11th Street...



Photos by Vinny and O.

Here's a look at the new condos coming to East 1st Street

Work has commenced at 64 E. First St., where a 6-story residential building will rise from the ruins of the former La Vie club here between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

Last April, New York Yimby reported that there will be six residential units (likely condos) — "two duplexes, one spanning the cellar and first floor, and another located on the sixth and penthouse levels; each of the other four residences will be full-floor."

The units will average a roomy 2,250 square feet.

And now, the plywood sports the rendering of the building…



… a closer look … (the building doesn't lean to the right — apparently we were when we snapped the photo)…



DOB permits show that Ekstein Development is behind the project. The architect of record is GF55, whose other neighborhood contributions include Jupiter 21 at the site of the former Mars Bar.

Previously on EV Grieve:
La Vie has closed; neighbors rejoice

Former La Vie space on East First Street will be demolished

Getting rid of the rats at the former LaVie ahead of a new 6-floor residential building

Here lies the remains of La Vie

Destination Bar has closed on Avenue A, will reopen as Destination Bar

The bar on the northwest corner of A and 13th Street closed for good after service yesterday.

But this closure won't be for long — at last as far as the name goes.

Back in October, CB3 OK'd the sale of assets to the current owners of Local 138 and Iggy's Keltic Lounge on Ludlow Street.

According to minutes (PDF!) from the October CB3 full-board meeting, the new owners are retaining the Destination Bar name.

No word yet on a Grand Reopening.

Destination Bar opened in the summer of 2009 in the former Boysroom space.

H/T ‏@nyev_eliza

[Updated] Little Joe's Pizza is now Little Gio's on 1st Avenue

[EVG photo from November]

Little Joe's Pizza opened back in November at 26 First Ave. just south of East Second Street.

Upon visiting the pizzeria, the nice folks there said that they previously worked for the venerable Joe's Pizza.

It turned out that Little Joe's owner's husband Sergio worked at Joe's for 13 years … and there wasn't any official connection to Joe's.

So perhaps to clear up any confusion between the two...

On Saturday, an EVG reader received a Facebook notification that Little Joe's had changed its name to Little Gio's …



The change had been made on the pizzeria's website as well…



… and the new sign/awning is in progress…



Little Joe's or Gio's, we like their slices…

Updated 5:44 p.m.

Apparently there was much more to the name change.

Eater reports:

According to Joe's Pizza owner Joe Pozzuoli, Jr. he sent several cease and desist letters to Little Joe's, but all were ignored. "To protect our brand and to limit confusion, we took legal action," Pozzuoli tells Eater, "and the court granted us a preliminary injunction" against Little Joe's. The latter is banned from using the word Joe in "any manner" as it relates to operating a pizzeria, under the threat of having to pony up a $5,000 security bond, in addition to any settlement.

H/T EVG reader Matt!

Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] Little Joe's Pizza now serving up slices on 1st Avenue

Unidentified Flying Chickens isn't apparently long for this East Village world

[EVG file photo]

The East Village outpost of the Jackson Heights-based Korean fried chicken restaurant opened this past July at 60 Third Ave. near East 11th Street.

Apparently the place is not much longer for this world. There's a new applicant seeking a liquor license for the address, according to materials (PDF!) on file ahead of this month's CB3/SLA committee meeting next Monday night.

There's not much information just yet. The applicant's name happens to be an owner of Taproom 307 on Third Avenue near East 23rd Street.

UFC did make it longer than the previous tenant. Last spring, Apiary, the nearly 6-year-old restaurant, closed here for a revamp. After a splashy, well-publicized makeover, the new place, Après, closed after just three weeks.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Après closes 3 weeks after debut; Unidentified Flying Chickens on the way in

Astoria Bier & Cheese closer to bringing craft beer and grilled cheese to Broadway

Help wanted signs are up on Broadway near East Ninth Street... where a new cafe called Milk and Hops has been in the works since last summer...





We don't know too much about the concept. Paperwork (PDF!) filed ahead of the August 2014 CB3/SLA committee meeting revealed that Milk and Hops would serve grilled cheese sandwiches (among other items) and craft beer. The owners are behind Astoria Bier and Cheese, which has two locations out in Astoria.

Mi Garba signage arrives on 4th Avenue

As noted a few weeks back, the first U.S. outpost of Mi Garba ("I like it" in Italian) is opening at 129 Fourth Ave. just south of East 13th Street.

As the Post reported:

The flagship 1,000 square-foot space ... will include a restaurant with 10 tables. There will also be Tuscan food and wine for sale along with a boutique offering fashion items, including custom-made shirts and jackets.

Anyway, coming soon announcements for Mi Garba, which sounds like a good concept for an airport, are up in the windows.

This storefront has been (mostly) empty since Dryden Gallery moved out two and a half years ago.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Tuscan food specialist opening 1st U.S. outpost on 4th Avenue for some reason

Week in Grieview

[Photo on East 5th Street via Derek Berg]

Rumors: Duane Reade expansion will take over adjacent storefronts, including East Village Cheese (Wednesday, 73 comments)

How to help The Bowery Mission this winter (Friday)

Beer Pong, Blizzard Edition (Tuesday)

Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks moves to East Second Street (Thursday)

Open Pantry closes after 45 years on Second Avenue (Friday)

The buildings at 128-130 First Avenue are for sale (Monday)

The latest in the Wind Chimes Saga (Monday)

Happy No. 82 Ray! (Wednesday)

FroYo fizzles out on St. Mark's Place (Thursday)

Before it snowed, Whole Foods Market® Bowery ran out of shopping carts (Monday)

Wannabe Penistrator sticks it to the Man during the snow (Monday)

Ahead of possibly historic blizzard, Key Food shoppers pretty much making a mess (Sunday)

Villacemita, serving authentic Puebla Mexican cuisine, announces itself on Avenue A (Monday)

An Imperial AT-AT Walker in Tompkins Square Park (Thursday)

C & B Cafe now open on East Seventh Street (Wednesday)

Japanese dining taking over the Sembrado’s Tacos al Pastor space on East 13th Street (Monday)

The Bourgeois Pig closes on East Seventh Street with move to the West Village (Thursday)

The new-look men's room at d.b.a. (Wednesday)

A look at the recently revealed 536 E. 13th St. (Thursday)

A cloud over A

Photo the other day on Avenue A by Grant Shaffer

Report: Police say man destroyed $100k of artifacts at the Church of the Immaculate Conception

[Photo via the Daily News]

Last Wednesday night, police say a man broke into the Church of the Immaculate Conception on East 14th Street near First Avenue and smashed the stations of the cross and other religious artifacts worth an estimated $100,000.

According to the Daily News today, police caught Michael Torres, 20, inside the church around 10 p.m. Torres, described by the NYPD as "emotionally disturbed," had been at Immaculate Conception earlier in the evening for an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. He reportedly returned and broke into the church.

Bedford + Bowery has more photos and a report here.

Hey it's winter, so there's snow in the forecast

An excuse, really, to post this photo that I liked from last Monday along Second Avenue by Derek Berg…

Also! WINTER STORM WARNING!

Winter Storm Warning in effect from 7 pm this evening to 6 pm EST Monday.

The National Weather Service in New York has issued a Winter Storm Warning for snow, sleet and freezing rain, which is in effect from 7 pm this evening to 6 pm EST Monday.

Locations: The New York City and New Jersey metropolitan areas, northern Nassau and Northwest Suffolk Counties, and southeastern coastal Connecticut.
Hazard types: snow, sleet and freezing rain.
Accumulations: snow accumulation of 4 to 8 inches, along with around one quarter of an inch of ice.
Winds: northeast 10 to 20 mph with gusts up to 25 mph.
Temperatures: in the upper 20s.
Visibilities: one quarter mile or less at times.
Timing: tonight through Monday.
Impacts: hazardous travel due to reduced visibilities and significant snow, sleet and ice accumulations.

Scenes of the 7-alarm fire in Williamsburg from East River Park

The FDNY continues to battle a massive warehouse fire at 5 N. 11th St. (at Kent Avenue), home of CitiStorage, a record storage facility, in Williamsburg.

EVG reader Daniel Root shared several photos from how the fire looks from East River Park…



… and via Dave on 7th…





… and the aerial view that's making the rounds on Twitter…

Just landed at LaGuardia. Here's the Brooklyn fire from the air. Smoke trails forever pic.twitter.com/NOjGjOWkZn

— Gary He (@garyhe) January 31, 2015

Updated

Here are photos of the fireboat via EV Resident Rob…

CB3 shows support for a Community Gardens District; now will City Council do the same?

[Hope Garden on East 2nd Street]

Via the EVG inbox yesterday morning…

If gardeners have their way, Community Board 3 (CB3) will soon be the recipient of a Community Gardens District that will include all 46 remaining community gardens located within its boundaries; a plan spearheaded by the Coalition to Establish a Community Gardens District. They aren’t talking about the manicured version associated with the New Orleans Garden District but, rather, the home grown, gritty version we all know and love that’s particular to everything East Village and Lower East Side!

On Thursday night, CB3 voted overwhelmingly in favor of establishing of this plan with a vote of 28 to 1.

The Coalition says community gardens have a deep rooted history in CB3 and the distinction of having the very first one in the City started in CB3 by resident and visionary environmentalist, Liz Christy, in 1973. Christy’s name is legendary in the national and international greening movement. She reclaimed and repurposed hundreds of vacant lots through her leadership and work with the Green Guerillas, which she co-founded and is the City’s oldest gardening organization, and the City’s Council on the Enviornment, which she founded and headed and is now known and branded as Grow NYC.

Once there were over 60 community gardeners in Community Board 3 but only 46 remain. Of those owned by the City, the Coalition says none are permanent or receive dedicated budgets to address infrastructure needs. Gardeners and their growing list of supporters, want CB3’s community gardens mapped and designated as park land — which would then take an act of the state legislature to be used for any other purpose; designated as a special district to acknowledge their unique and well-earned place in the City’s history; and management left in the hands of community based volunteers which has proven to be a successful model of operation for over 40 years.

The District plan will next go before City Council. You may still show your support for preserving community gardens by signing this petition.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Your chance to help create a Community Gardens District

Report: City targeting hookah bars for closure, including Sahara East, with help from NYU students

[EVG file photo from 2011]

The city's hookah bars have been allowed to operate since the 2002 smoking ban as long as the shisha they sell contains only fruit, herbs and sweetening agents such as molasses.

However, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times, 13 hookah bars, including the 25-year-old Sahara East on First Avenue near East 11th Street, are in danger of closing after a city investigation found the shisha they served contained tobacco.

In addition, the article notes that the city completed the sting operation with the help of NYU undergrads. (The city also wanted to see if the establishments were selling the shisha to patrons under the legal age of 21.)

Let's hear now from…

Sahara East:

Mahmoud Gamaa, the owner of Sahara East, said he has been in business for 25 years, making him one of the first to introduce hookah bars to New York. Originally from Cairo, Gamaa said Sahara East, also a restaurant, is a place where people come to relax. "We're about hospitality, cleansing and being with friends," he said.

The City:

"These 13 hookah bars are knowingly flouting the law by serving tobacco-based shisha," Health Commissioner Mary Bassett said in a statement. "We will not tolerate this willful disregard of New York City's smoke-free air laws and have already taken steps to revoke the permits of these establishments."

NYU:

Diana Silver, an associate professor of public health at New York University, said she arranged for six of her students to go undercover in the hookah sting after having worked with the health department on studies. She said the students were excited to do field work and would be giving depositions to be included in legal proceedings.

"They learned it's one thing to pass or imagine a law, but compliance and enforcement are complicated," she said.

When asked about the city's allegations that his shisha was found to contain tobacco, "Gamaa indicated that if so, it was unwittingly. He said he purchases only nicotine-free shisha from a distributor."

Read the whole article here.

Shadows and fog

The Calgary-based Viet Cong played a sold-out show last night at the Mercury Lounge to support their recently released debut record... here's a track titled "Silhouettes."

Terroir closes tomorrow night on East 12th Street; new concept on the way soon

[Image via]

As Eater reported last month, the original East Village outpost of the wine bar Terroir at 413 E. 12th St. between Avenue A and First Avenue closes after business tomorrow night.

It reportedly has something to do with the business split of Paul Grieco and Hearth chef Marco Canora. Grieco will be running the other Terroir locations and Canora will carry on with Hearth, Brodo and what the former East 12th Street Terroir space becomes.

Whatever the new concept is, it looks to be debuting very soon...

Tomorrow night is the final night of Terroir in the East Village. Don't fret -we'll be back Wednesday, 2/4 with a new name & new menu items!

— Hearth Restaurant (@HearthNYC) January 30, 2015

EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning Edition

[St. Mark's-Church-in-the-Bowery photo by Alice Owen]

Goldwater Thriftique on East Seventh Street robbed at knifepoint (DNAinfo)

The 1990s East Village videos of Ethan Minsker (Gothamist)

Gunshots reported outside Hayaty at 103 Avenue A early Monday morning (The Villager Police Blotter)

Weekend L train service between Brooklyn and Manhattan shutting down for 6 Weeks (DNAinfo)

A visit to Schnitz on First Avenue (The Wall Street Journal, registration may be required)

Taxman seizes Macondo on East Houston (BoweryBoogie)

In case you've never seen Stanley Kubrick's NYC subway photos from 1946 (Dangerous Minds, previously)

A Q-and-A with Katz's owner Jake Dell (Eater)

[Video] A look inside the Amato Opera on the Bowery circa 1995 (Jeremiah's Vanishing New York)

Some of the different pigeons in Tompkins Square Park (Gog in NYC)

Miller's Near & Far closes for a revamp on Rivington (The Lo-Down)

NYU was tearing down cool buildings in the 1890s as well (Ephemeral New York)

A visit to the great 8th Avenue diner La Bonbonniere (Off the Grid)

Is a character in Darren Star's new series really a fan of 999? (Flaming Pablum)

The chains are on the way to Coney Island's Surf Avenue (Amusing the Zillion)

...and thanks for the memories here on Second Avenue near East Fifth Street...


[Photo by Derek Berg]

The ongoing needs of The Bowery Mission this winter

[Via Facebook]

An EVG reader writes:

The Bowery Mission has close to 200 people sleeping there — every space is being used. They served 1,000 meals [on Wednesday]. If you have cans or blankets you can spare please drop them off. With more snow and subzero wind chills imminent they need help. They operate 24/7/365. They fall off the radar after the holidays but this is when they need help.

As the Bowery Mission's Facebook page notes, the "additional overnight guests mean extra expenses for food, toiletries, and utilities."

Here's the link if you are interested in making a donation ... anything from cash, food to clothes.

The Bowery Mission, which has served homeless and hungry New Yorkers since 1879, is at 227 Bowery near Prince.

2nd Avenue mainstay Open Pantry closes for good after tomorrow

[Photo from last night]

The countdown to closure continues at Open Pantry, the 45-year-old coffee shop/grocery at 184 Second Ave. The shop between East 11th Street and East 12th Street closes after business hours tomorrow.

As we first reported on Jan. 8, continued competition from the nearby Starbucks (Second Avenue and East Ninth Street, First Avenue and East 13th Street) as well as the new Westside Market apparently put a damper on sales.

Several readers have said that the proprietors, the Pappas family, also own the building here.

Meanwhile, store items have been marked off up to 40 percent.

And per the sign on the door: "Our family would like to thank the neighborhood and all our customers for their loyalty and continued support throughout the years."

Previously on EV Grieve:
After 40-plus years, Open Pantry looks to be closing on 2nd Avenue

Open Pantry is now selling off its inventory and equipment

Reader report: Blowing fuses on East 13th Street this winter

[EVG file photo of 438 E. 13th St. from November 2012]

A resident shared the following with us ... about the situation for longtime residents at 438 E. 13th St. between Avenue A and First Avenue...

Rent-stabilized tenants in the building have had their electricity limited thanks to landlord Stone Street Properties. We don’t have the same wattage/volts as other apartments since November.

For example, one tenant has to turn off all his lights to microwave food. Another tenant’s lights kept going out when the fuses blew out on Thanksgiving. The solution? We must call or text our super to go down to the basement to reset the circuit breaker. The poor guy has to do this several times a day. One tenant has fainting spells and had her chin cut open a few weeks ago (from fainting in her bedroom), so having to walk around in a dark home has caused her anxiety. The same tenant can't use a space heater when it's cold out because the fuse blows.

Jared Kushner's Kushner Companies recently purchased the address here as part of a 16-building/$131.5 million portfolio.

Per the resident: "We're worried that this electricity issue won't be resolved until new management takes over. It has been tough to live with limited electricity."

Of course, the Kushner Companies have not been too popular around the East Village with the allegations and subsequent media reports of tenant harassment and quality-of-life issues brought on by gut renovations in their buildings.

Previously on EV Grieve:
2 East Village buildings part of $73 million deal

Life at 438 E. 13th St.

Soon Beauty Lab closing its East Village location

The hair salon closes tomorrow here on East 11th Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue. The shop will be consolidating with its West 22nd Street branch. (There are also outposts in Fort Greene and Carroll Gardens.)

A Soon regular told us that an East Village rent hike was behind the consolidation.

RKF has had the listing now for several months. There isn't any mention of rent for the space, though all uses will be considered. Plus: "Strong fashion and food and beverage co-tenancy."

Any East Village bars that WON'T be playing the Super Bowl on Sunday?

[Photo via our friends at The International]

Because people ask us this question this time of year. (And other times too, actually.)

TV-free neighborhood bars include:

• Burp Castle, 41 E. Seventh St. between Second Avenue and Cooper Square
• The International Bar, 120 1/2 First Avenue near East Seventh Street
• Scratcher, 209 E. Fifth St. between Second Avenue and Cooper Square
• Swift Hibernian Lounge, 34 E. Fourth St. between the Bowery and Lafayette
• The Wayland, Avenue C at East Ninth Street

This is certainly not a comprehensive list. Feel free to name other TV-free neighborhood bars in the comments... (and Hookah bars don't count...)

And as the sign at The International shows, there is an anti-Super Bowl party there all-day Sunday.

Thai Terminal clears up its gas problem

Just noting that Thai Terminal is back open at 349 E. 12th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue. Not sure exactly when they reopened.

Earlier this month, the restaurant was forced to close due to a gas problem, according to a sign on the door.

Judge tosses Jimmy McMillan's lawsuit seeking a stay of eviction from East Village apartment

[St. Mark's Place last January]

Jimmy McMillan, founder of The Rent Is Too Damn High party, had filed suit in Brooklyn Federal Court seeking to stave off an eviction from his St. Mark's Place apartment of 38 years.

As Curbed summarized the situation:

Lisco Holdings, McMillan's landlord at 107 St. Marks Place, says that the rent-stabilized $872/month apartment is not McMillan's primary residence, which violates stabilization rules. Lisco says the perpetual political candidate's primary home is in Flatbush, but McMillan says that was just a campaign office.

So McMillan was seeking a preliminary injunction to halt the eviction scheduled to be carried out on Thursday.

Today, though, a Brooklyn federal judge tossed out McMillan's lawsuit, which included $1.3 million in damages.

"I'm done. I got one week left and my options are limited," he told the Daily News. "They just want me out."

However, McMillan isn't done yet. Per the Daily News: "He has another lawyer trying to get a stay of the eviction order in the state appellate division. But if that fails, he's not putting up a fight, and he'll leave quietly."

Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: Jimmy McMillan facing Feb. 5 eviction from St. Mark's Place apartment (32 comments)

FINALLY, someone decides to recreate the Battle of Hoth in Tompkins Square Park

And complete with an Imperial AT-AT Walker...



No sign of any indigenous tauntauns though.

Photos today by Bobby Williams

Noted

The Keith Haring sculpture outside 51 Astor now with snowball...



Thanks to EVG reader Russ for the photo

Recognize this creep?

Recognize this creep @NYCTSubway? He groped a F/25 at Union Sq #Ltrain yesterday. Call #800577TIPS w/ info. pic.twitter.com/ooG09UN5vL

— NYPD L Train (@NYPDLTrain) January 29, 2015

Snow jobs: The cost of plowing NYC streets

[Avenue A the other morning]

Because snow has been a topic of conversation this week... From the EVG inbox...

Light snow and heavy snow seasons are significantly more expensive than average snow seasons on a cost-per-inch basis, according to a new analysis released today by New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer. Since the winter of 2003, the cost of clearing New York City streets of snow and ice has averaged $1.8 million per inch, but that amount has varied considerably on a year-to-year basis.

“Snow removal costs the City millions of dollars annually, but it turns out that average winters give us the best bang for the buck on that front,” Comptroller Stringer said. “The total amount that the City pays to plow our streets grows with each storm, but counterintuitively, it’s a lot more expensive per inch when we get a little, or a lot, of snow in a season. Consider the old adage of $1 million per inch debunked.”

Find a PDF of Stringer's report here.