Preliminary work underway at city-owned empty lot on 3rd Street

An EVG reader said that there was a Davey Drill taking core samples last week in the long-empty lot at 276 E. Third St. between Avenue C and Avenue D...



Public records show that the NYC Housing Preservation and Development owns the property ... and there are approved plans on file (since 2008) with the DOB for construction of a 4-story building. The work permit shows that this will be an "eight bed group home for children."

Not sure of that is still the city's intention for the new building. In any event, it looks as if the lot is being prepped for some future construction.

Fire under sidewalk bridge on 13th Street temporarily brings an end to homeless encampment

[Reader photo from October]

In recent months, several residents have said that a growing number of travelers/crusties have been living under the sidewalk bridge next to the Verizon building on 13th Street between Second Avenue and First Avenue.

Early Sunday evening, there were reports of a small fire under the sidewalk bridge.

Shortly after the FDNY departed, a dump truck arrived, and a crew discarded the various mattresses and furniture.


[Scorched-wall photo yesterday by Steven]

One resident on the block shared this about the recent activity under the sidewalk bridge "where the crusties have made home."

They live and sleep there. They openly shoot up, get drunk, fight, party all night and block the sidewalk with mattresses, chairs — even tables.

The situation has become a total nightmare now. This scaffolding — I swear it seems like it's been up 10 years and I've seen them do about maybe 10 days work on the building that entire time. It's become the homeless heroin spot now and it's incredibly disturbing to watch people shooting up. We really don't know what to do but something definitely has to be done.

Said one nearly 20-year resident of 13th Street:

Our block has been gross for the last six months. The homeless have moved in under the Verizon scaffolding ... I witness drug deals on the regular and the cops have only parked on the block one day — I’m ready to move! And now they cause a fire?

EVG correspondent Steven spoke with a super who works on the block. The super said that residents have called 311 "to no avail."

A few scattered items remained on the sidewalk yesterday...


[Photo yesterday by Steven]

As for the Verizon-owned building, there are multiple work permits on file with the city, including for "mechanical chiller replacement. Removal and replacement of chiller along with related piping." There are also permits for "new steel dunnage and steel framing to support new generator and fuel piping." There doesn't appear to be any current tenants in the circa 1923 building. (The building was also the site of a major fire in 1975.)

In several recent years, Verizon was engaged with the local graffiti community in the ongoing brown paint vs. tagging battle.

Meanwhile, one of the readers said that a few people had returned last night to sleep on 13th Street.


[Reader-submitted photo]

7 years later, a Ben & Jerry's is returning to the East Village

Back on Friday, we noted that the former Caffe Bene space was under renovation at 24 St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.

And yesterday, EVG contributor Derek Berg spotted the coming soon signage for the next tenant — Ben & Jerry's. (H/T to Bayou, who noted in the comments on last Friday's post that a Ben & Jerry's was coming to the block. The former DF Mavens space was also a contender.)

There was a Ben & Jerry's outpost at 41 Third Ave. between Ninth Street and 10th Street for 22 years before its closure in September 2010.


[41 3rd Ave. from 2011]

No word on the opening date just yet on St. Mark's Place.

Caffe Bene closed back in April after 17 months in business. Before Caffe B, the address was a Pinkberry.

Vape in store for 2nd Avenue?

It looks like a new tenant is in place for the recently departed Village Eyecare space at 150 Second Ave. between Ninth Street and 10th Street...

EVG correspondent Steven spotted a note for the Post Office on the gate...



Vape N Smoke – "Please throw mail here."

Previously a reader stated that the Village Eyecare merged with Eyes on Second at 170 Second Ave. (If anyone else can verify that.)

Watch a bike theft in progress on 3rd Street

An EVG reader shared this surveillance video from early Saturday morning... showing a man (with a lookout) cut through two locks with a portable angle grinder and leave with a bike on Third Street between Avenue A and Avenue B... (the bike owner filed a police report and shared the footage, minus the musical accompaniment ...)

Today in sidewalk finds

Earlier today, EVG contributor Derek Berg spotted this Singer antique treadle sewing machine with cabinet table up for grabs on Seventh Street ... a short time later, he spotted this couple taking it home...

Agozar! is closing this week on the Bowery

Agozar!, the 15-year-old Cuban bistro-bar on the Bowery near Bleecker Street, is closing after service on Thursday.

The restaurant's owners — the brother-sister team of Gerardo Perez and Diana Mastrodimos — made the announcement on Facebook...



The post reads:

After 15 years of serving the East Village and the Bowery, we would like to regretfully inform everyone that we will be closing on December 1st. Our last day of service will be November 30th. It has been a pleasure serving the community for over a decade. Our family would like to thank our hardworking dedicated staff, our customers, and regulars for your loyalty and patronage throughout the years. THANK YOU! We hope to see you soon!

H/T EVG reader Erin!

Kona Coffee and Company now open on 2nd Avenue

The coffee shop opened during the holiday weekend at 57 Second Ave. between Third Street and Fourth Street.

Their Facebook account notes that their beans "come from small, family-owned farms in Kona." Sidewalk signage shows a few of their offerings ... as well as the hours — 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.



Previously on EV Grieve:
Kona Coffee and Company coming to 2nd Avenue

[Updated] Gino Sorbillo opens his pizzeria tomorrow on the Bowery

Tomorrow marks the official grand opening of Sorbillo, the first U.S. pizzeria from "the Neapolitan celebrity super-chef" Gino Sorbillo at 334 Bowery between Bond and Great Jones...







Here's more on Sorbillo from a profile at Eater in September:

Though he's unknown to most Americans, Gino Sorbillo is one of the most famous pizzaioli in Italy, with regular guest appearances on MasterChef Italia, three restaurants in Naples, and a reputation for having fought the mafia — beating back crime in Centro Storico, the neighborhood that’s home to his flagship pizzeria.

The pizzeria will be open from noon to 11 p.m. daily (until midnight on Friday and Saturday). You can find their menus here.

...and a look at the product via the pizzeria's Instagram account...

Gino Sorbillo on the Bowery! @sorbillonyc official opening on TUESDAY 11/28 🍕🚀 📷: @sharibayer

A post shared by Sorbillo (@sorbillonyc) on Nov 25, 2017 at 2:12pm PST

A post shared by Sorbillo (@sorbillonyc) on Nov 16, 2017 at 12:34pm PST

A post shared by Sorbillo (@sorbillonyc) on Nov 17, 2017 at 2:00pm PST

Will Sorbillo be able to break the streak of quick openings and closings at this address on the Bowery? Most recently, the hyped PYT — "Home of America's Craaaziest Burgers" — imploded here after just three months in business in early 2016.

The space was home to Forcella Bowery for nearly three years until November 2014 … only to be replaced in December 2014 by the tapas-friendly Espoleta, which closed six months later to make way for Gia Trattoria. They quickly closed.

Updated 7 p.m.

The Mayor was unhand for a ribbon-cutting ceremony this afternoon...

De Blasio defends New York pizza from own spokesperson https://t.co/LLqKTAiqHg pic.twitter.com/QOwZ5bWwnX

— New York Post (@nypost) November 28, 2017

Previously on EV Grieve:
A step back in time on the Bowery

Pizza-master Gino Sorbillo marks his arrival on the Bowery

Former Jennifer Way's Bakery space for rent

Jennifer's Way Bakery closed at the end of the summer here on 10th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue. At the time, owner Jennifer Esposito, the Brooklyn-born actress, said she would be moving the organic, gluten-free bakery.

While there isn't any word of a new location, the old spot is now on the market as the for rent sign arrived last week.

The bakery opened in March 2013.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Jennifer Esposito's Jennifer's Way Bakery is moving from 10th Street; destination unknown

The rent is due at Dojo Noodle House

Dojo Noodle House has been closed since mid-August here on Avenue B near Third Street. At the time, a sign on the door noted a September return. That never happened.

This past week, the landlord taped some legal documents to the front door for ownership ... with the notice that the restaurant owes some recent base rent and an assortment of legal fees that add up to $18,903.32 ...

The small restaurant opened as Dojo Izakaya in November 2014 and received positive notices. This Dojo was an offshoot of chef David Bouhadana's Sushi Dojo on First Avenue between Sixth Street and Seventh Street. (Bouhadana reportedly parted ways with the Dojo camp the following year.)

80 E. 10th St. tops out

Just noting that 80 E. 10th St., the 10-floor condoplex at Fourth Avenue, topped out this past week.

The flags are now flying atop the development called Eighty East Tenth ...



There will be 12 residences in total at No. 80. More background on this project here.

And how was your holiday weekend?

Photo on Avenue D between Ninth Street and 10th Street via @davidpiz ...

Art is what you can get away with

EVG regular Raquel Shapira bumped into Paris-based artist-illustrator Tomadee, who's in town for a few days... he brought three of these posters with him... he put one up in Bushwick and two in Manhattan, including here on Avenue A...