Report: DOB fines Kushner Cos. for falsifying dozens of permit applications

According to published reports, the Department of Buildings (DOB) yesterday fined Kushner Cos. $210,000 for falsifying dozens of permit applications at 17 properties they own, including in the East Village.

As The New York Times first reported, the DOB cited Kushner for 42 violations in which it submitted false permit information in those 17 buildings, "where many of the tenants were protected from steep rent increases and eviction."

Landlords are required in New York City to disclose whether tenants in their buildings are rent regulated to obtain a construction permit. This requirement is designed to safeguard rent-regulated tenants from harassment. Unscrupulous landlords sometimes push out rent-protected tenants so they can sharply increase rents on those units.

A DOB spokesperson told The Real Deal that "the falsifications were a matter of not disclosing the existence of rent-stabilized tenants." Among the properties: 331-335 E. Ninth St. (pictured) and 211 Avenue A.

In a statement to TRD, the Kushner Cos. blamed the misfiled paperwork on a third party. Per that statement: "No fines were assessed against the company [yesterday]. There were some violations issued for paperwork errors of the same type identified back in March and as we noted then, the company relied on third party consultants for the preparation of these forms and if in error they have been corrected or will be. In no case did the company act in disregard of the safety of our tenants."

The Associated Press first reported in March about the Kushner Cos. allegedly routinely filing false paperwork with the city declaring that it had zero rent-regulated tenants in buildings it owns when, in fact, they had hundreds.

Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of President Trump, resigned as head of the Kushner Cos. after joining the White House as a senior adviser in 2016. His father Charles Kushner is currently running the company. The published reports note that the false applications were filed while Jared was at the helm.

Also yesterday, the DOB confirmed that they’re investigating complaints by tenant advocates against an investment group led by Michael Cohen, the president’s former personal lawyer, for similar violations.

Per the Times:

At 172 Rivington Street, for example, the Cohen group indicated that there were no rent-regulated tenants in the 20-unit building, after the company purchased it in October 2011 for $2.1 million. But records indicated that there were 19 protected tenants there, but only 11 remained after the Cohen group sold the building three years later for $10 million.

As the Times noted, neither Cohen nor the Kushner Cos. have been cited for tenant harassment.

The big chill: John Carpenter's version of 'The Thing' screens Wednesday at the Village East

John Carpenter's suitably tense version of "The Thing" from 1982 with Kurt Russell screens in 35mm on Wednesday evening at 7 as part of the Village East's SciFest.

Here's a look at the horror-science-fi combo set in Antarctica...



And the legendary Ennio Morricone scored the theme...



Advance tix are available here. The Village East is on Second Avenue at 12th Street.

Tonight!: Read and share stories in the Green Oasis Garden gazebo on 8th Street

[Image via Facebook]

Via the EVG inbox...

Join the Green Oasis Garden’s Little Library book & story share on the full moon

• Share what you are reading and/or tell a story

• Donate or swap a gently used book* for the little library (optional)

7-9 p.m. at the Green Oasis Garden gazebo, Eighth Street between Avenue C and Avenue D.

Monday, Aug. 27 (a day late, we know...)

Tuesday, Sept. 25

Wednesday, Oct. 24

All ages - 12 and under with an adult please

*Children’s, teen, eclectic, Arabic, Chinese, French, or Spanish books appreciated

... and the info in flyer form...

Local elected officials urge Boys' Club officials to postpone sale of the Harriman Clubhouse

As I first reported on June 21, the Boys' Club of New York (BCNY) plans to sell its Harriman Clubhouse building on the northwest corner of 10th Street and Avenue A.

In a letter to alumni, Stephen Tosh, BCNY's executive director and CEO, said that the 7-floor building, which opened in 1901, will remain in operation through June 2019.

Per the letter:

As you know, when E.H. Harriman founded the Boy's Club in 1876, 10th Street and Avenue A was in the middle of a poor, immigrant neighborhood where most boys had little opportunity to learn and grow and nowhere to feel safe. He opened this clubhouse to give any boy on the Lower East Side a shot at a better life.

The neighborhood surrounding the building has changed dramatically since Mr. Harriman built this building, especially in the past few decades.

The Daily News obtained a copy of the Feb. 24, 2015, BCNY board meeting minutes, in which Tosh stated that "enrollment was actually rising sharply, based on an increase over the preceding five-year period, mainly among boys and young men from low-income families."

Per the News:

At that point, the board had hired CBRE, a real estate investment firm to assess the value of its three city properties, and some board members indicated a desire to sell Harriman even then and use the proceeds for income or another facility in a different neighborhood, possibly East New York, Brooklyn. "Real Estate is a source of capital," the minutes note.

It was in that meeting that Tosh told the board the Harriman Clubhouse had experienced a "47% increase in attendance over five years and the majority are from low-income families."

Tosh told the News that the 47 percent increase "came only after we invested significant resources, including picking up boys from a number of elementary schools." He added: "This is still well below the attendance levels from the 1980s and 1990s, when the neighborhood was very different."

This revelation from the minutes upset local state Sen. Brad Hoylman, who told the News:

"Contrary to the claims of declining enrollment, the minutes show that the clubhouse has seen a surge in attendance, particularly from boys and young men from lower-income families. It confirms that if anything, there's a growing need. The Boys' Club should be building on its legacy, not selling out to the highest bidder. The last thing this neighborhood needs is another luxury condominium or expensive hotel."

Last week, Hoylman and other local elected officials sent a letter to the organization, asking them to put a hold on their plans to sell the clubhouse in order to gather community input and explore other options to keep the facility here.

Sen. Hoylman's office shared a copy of the letter with me. It reads, in part:

As representatives of the area, we were disappointed to have learned initially about the sale of the Harriman Clubhouse at a very late stage in the decision-making process. In order to ensure that your decision was fully informed by the community you serve, we strongly urge you to postpone placing the Harriman Clubhouse on the market until you convene a community meeting to take public input on your plans to sell the Harriman Clubhouse and present your plans for remaining services in the community.

The meeting’s agenda should include the following:
1. Membership profile by measures such as age, area of residence, etc.;
2. A transparent overview of organizational finances;
3. Overview of past outreach efforts to increase membership among boys and
young men at various age levels; and
4. Options and strategies that would allow your organization to remain in the current facility.

We strongly value your mission to empower boys and young men by providing effective programs and a supportive community. As you are well aware, the Harriman Clubhouse has been a vital part of our neighborhood for more than a century. Therefore, the decision to sell such an important community asset must only be taken after rigorous analysis and extensive public consultation.

Aside from Hoylman, the letter was signed by Gale Brewer, Manhattan borough president, Carlina Rivera, District 2 City Councilmember, Harvey Epstein, New York State assembly member, and Alysha Lewis-Coleman, chair of Community Board 3.

Tosh told the News that they are reviewing the letter while remaining "deeply committed to serving our current members with programming on the Lower East Side."

Previously on Ev Grieve:
Boys' Club of New York selling East Village building; will remain open through June 2019

An empty lot awaits the future home of the new Mt. Sinai Beth Israel Hospital on 13th Street

Over on 13th Street, EVG regular Pinch notes that the former 14-floor building here between Second Avenue and First Avenue that housed training physicians and staff of the nearby New York Eye and Ear Infirmary is now just an empty lot.

Workers have wrapped up the demolition phase ...



The property — previously 321 E. 13th St. — will be home to part of the new, 70-bed Mount Sinai Beth Israel Hospital, with a 2021 opening at the moment...





Find more info on the Mount Sinai Beth Israel restructuring at their FAQ page.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Permits filed to demolish Mount Sinai's 13th Street residential building


[No. 321 in 2016]

Churro Cone by ChikaLicious bringing another dessert option to Avenue A

Signage is up at 131 Avenue A for Churro Cone...



... which includes a look at their ice-cream offerings stuffed into churro cones (these were big a few years back at ChikaLicious Dessert Club on 10th Street. Updated: See below: Turns out this is via the folks at ChikaLicious) ...



Churro Cone also marks the third new business for the storefronts at 131 Avenue A between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street. Thai Direct opened next door last week... and ramen restaurant TabeTomo is on the way.

Updated 3 p.m.

Per the comments... this is a relocation for the folks who ran Dessert Club ChikaLicious on 10th Street (Chikalicious Dessert Bar will remain where it is)... And Churro Cone debuts on Wednesday...

Opens Wednesday 8/29! Hours: Wed - Sun, 4pm - 11pm. 131 Ave A. bt 8th st (st. marks) & 9th st. Introducing: the Crazy Rich Asian. ( tiramisu pecan-mascarpone espresso ICE CREAM! with “out-of-the-oven” cocoa powder-dusted lady finger atop warm churro cone! ). Holla!

A post shared by ChurroConeNYC chikalicious (@churroconenyc_chikalicious) on Aug 26, 2018 at 8:54am PDT

New lobby unveiled at 250 E. Houston St.

After nearly five months of renovations, the all-new lobby has emerged from behind the plywood at 250 E. Houston St., the former Red Square here between Avenue A and Avenue B.





The Dermot Company, which bought the 13-floor building for $100 million in 2016, has stated they are "creating a more updated style and fit for the cool East Village neighborhood" with the renovations at the retail-residential complex with the Tibor Kalman-designed rooftop clock.

The main entrance is apparently the first step in this updated direction, which includes some new retail tenants. On that note, as reported in April, Y7, growing hip-hop yoga chainlet, signed a 10-year, 2,000-square-foot ground-floor lease for one of the retail spaces.

Eventually, No. 250 will look something like this rendering...


[Rendering of the all-new 250 E. Houston St.]

Previously on EV Grieve:
Rumors: Red Square has been sold

New ownership makes it official at the former Red Square on East Houston

Apartment listings at 250 E. Houston look to offer glimpse of former Red Square's future

Long-vacant retail space hits the rental market at 250 E. Houston St.

Former Red Square lobby gets the plywood treatment on East Houston


[EVG photo from June 2017]

The DOH temporarily closes the Ainsworth on 3rd Avenue (again)

Updated 8/29: The Ainsworth is back open.

Several EVG readers, via email and on Twitter (h/t @JCooper911), pointed out that the Ainsworth East Village on Third Avenue and 11th Street was closed over the weekend ... which coincided with a DOH inspection on Friday.

The note on the front door, which covers the DOH's yellow closure sticker, states that they are closed for maintenance to get "the place ready for football season!"



The DOH temporarily sidelined the EV Ainsworth back in February. According to public records at the time, inspectors issued 86 violation points. The top violations included: Food Protection Certificate not held by supervisor of food operations. (They need one for serving those wings dusted with 24-carat gold.)

On Friday, inspectors issued 102 violation points. The top there violations listed, per the public report:

1) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked fish and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation.
2) Food not cooled by an approved method whereby the internal product temperature is reduced from 140º F to 70º F or less within 2 hours, and from 70º F to 41º F or less within 4 additional hours.
3) Food Protection Certificate not held by supervisor of food operations.

In February, the Ainsworth also covered up the DOH notice...


[Reader-submitted photo from February]

The Ainsworth, part of a growing chainlet of upscale sports bars, opened on Third Avenue at the end of December. Unrelated, the building — at 64 Third Ave. — was recently purchased by a Canadian investor.

Sunday's parting shot

Photo in Tompkins Square Park by @jesuscphotographynyc ...

There for the Bird

A full house park today for the 26th annual Charlie Parker Jazz Festival in Tompkins Square Park... featuring headliner Gary Bartz, the alto saxophonist who has recorded more than 40 solo records...





Photos by Steven