Tuesday, March 2, 2021

Meanwhile, on the 6 train

Dave on 7th spotted this scene today on the 6 train... and the MTA is not a big fan of self-propelled or motor-propelled vehicles on trains...

East River community group gets action on release of (heavily redacted) value engineering study

Turns out there is a value engineering study after all. 

In January (first reported here), following a Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request by advocacy group East River Park ActionNYC's Department of Design and Construction (DDC) stated that the city's value engineering report could not be sent because: "DDC's search of agency records revealed no responsive documents for [the FOIL] request."

The value engineering study is the oft-cited factor behind the city's change of plans in September 2018 to bury/elevate East River Park by eight feet as part of the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project.

According to an email from East River Park Action on Sunday, the group appealed their original FOIL request, and on Feb. 11, the DDC released the three-year-old report. 

However, per East River Action: "the report is heavily redacted. Here's a good page. Note that the disadvantages outweigh the advantages..."
Back to the East River Park Action email:
We need to see an un-redacted report. We also strongly support the NYC Group of the Sierra Club, which "calls upon the City Council's Committees on Environmental Protection and the Council's Parks and Recreation Committee to hold a joint oversight hearing on the East River Coastal Resiliency Project or ESCR" to get to the bottom of the “secrecy, inadequacy, and sequence of events and information releases [that] have left many perplexed and disturbed.”
The 347-page Value Engineering Study for the Office of Management and Budget is available hereThe 31-page Report of Findings is available here.

The city's current plan, which has been met with outrage by community members, will raze the 57.5-acre East River Park, bulldozing 1,000 mature trees and rebuilding the park atop eight feet of landfill meant to protect the Lower East Side and surrounding neighborhoods from a 100-year-flood event and sea-level rise. 

In October 2019, the city announced that they would phase in the construction so only portions of the park are closed to the public at any given time. According to various reportsthe city has committed to leaving a minimum of 42 percent of East River Park open to the public. It is projected to be complete in 2025. 

The start of construction, which had been slated to commence this past fall, was delayed until this spring, according to a recent presentation the city made.

But after seeing the redacted report, East River Park has many outstanding questions for the city to answer.
Our many ACTIONeers have pored over the plans and have found fatal flaws that will damage our neighborhood's well being for years to come. We must have transparency, accountability, and community involvement in a revised plan.

What might be next for the NW corner of 2nd Avenue and St. Mark's Place?

3/3 update: See this update for the new tenant!

The plywooding of the vacant retail space on the northwest corner of St Mark's Place and Second Avenue continued yesterday. (Thanks Steven for the photo! H/T @unitof!

No word yet what might be in the works for the spot. (The workers were just there for the plywood; the work permits just mention interior renovations.) Tips welcome!

The for rent sign arrived here in August 2019 ... marking the first time in six years that this high-profile retail space was on the market. 

Nobletree Coffee closed here in May 2019 after just five months in business. A sign on the door for Nobletree's "beloved customers" offered thanks ... along with a reason for the closure: "Because of the slow foot traffic at this location we were forced to close." 

The listing at Winick noted that this is the "busiest intersection in the East Village." 

This storefront previously sat empty for three years — ever since DF Mavens closed in January 2016 ... after a Dec. 26, 2014 debut. (It took the Mavenators 14 months to open the space.)

Other tenants in recent years include Eastside Bakery (.net?) and Roastown Coffee.

And the only business to last here in the past 30 years: the Gap, from 1988 to 2001... (photo by Barry Joseph!)

347 E. 4th St. sells; conversion to residential use is in the works

347 E. Fourth St. between Avenue C and Avenue D recently changed hands for a reported $2.385 million.

The three-story building had been used as a facility for Community Access, which provides housing and social services for people with mental health concerns. 

The buyer, listed as Zannatul Ferdous, plans to convert No. 347 into a residence with three units, per work permits on file with the city.

According to LoopNet, the listing for the property first arrived in November 2017... and deactivated as of last week. 

Meanwhile next door, no word on the fate of the San Isidoro y San Leandro Western Orthodox Church of Hispanic Mozarabic Rite at No. 345. That unique property remains for sale. Check out our previous post on this address for more background.

Construction watch: 799 Broadway

Been meaning to post an update on 799 Broadway... where, at the southwest corner at 11th Street, this 12-story zig-zagging office complex has its glassy façade in place ... (these photos are from a few weeks ago, but it essentially looks the same...)
According to a news release about the address: "799 Broadway will feature floor-to-ceiling glass, private terraces, and 15 foot high ceilings. This combination of highly desirable location and state-of-the-art design will appeal to New York’s most progressive and creative companies."

No. 799 was the former home of the historic St. Denis building, which opened as a hotel in 1853. Normandy Real Estate Partners bought the property for somewhere in the $100 million ballpark back in 2016... and tore it all down.

Monday, March 1, 2021

Free TV pitch (Martha Hanson edition)

There's a TV up for grabs along Ninth Street west of First Avenue... and the person who left it behind offered up some details on the TV...
This TV works!!! 
Although it's not smart...... 
I did watch "The Americans" on it. (On FX.) 
Felt bad for Martha, but she's on "Snowpiercer" now! 
GFJ Martha!
Thanks Jason Corey for the photo!

It's March!

Which means this stuff has been up at the Kmart on Astor Place since Halloween! (JK! Have no idea when this arrived...)
Thanks to Edmund John Dunn for the pics.

787 Coffee opens an outpost on 14th Street

787 Coffee has opened another location in the East Village — 319 E. 14th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue... in the space previously leased by Champion Coffee, who never reopened here after the PAUSE went into effect last March. (And the Champion signage remains up for the moment.) 

Friday was there first day in business here. (Thanks to Pinch for the tip and photos!

This is the third East Village outpost for 787, which grows and roasts their coffee in Puerto Rico... overall, 787 has eight NYC stores and one in Puerto Rico...
787 Coffee debuted in October 2018 at 131 E. Seventh St. near Avenue A... and at 101 Second Ave. at Sixth Street in July 2019.

Mike's Cleaners is closing on Avenue A

Mike's Cleaners is closing up shop on Avenue A between Fourth Street and Fifth Street. (Thank you to Stacie Joy for the photos.)

The note on the gate blames the closure on the "current situation." 
Across the country dry cleaners have been hard hit during the pandemic...  as more people are working from home and not wearing business attire, and fewer people are going to events where they need to dress up. So no need to take things in to a dry cleaners.

According to the National Cleaners Association, one in six dry cleaners have closed or gone bankrupt in the United States during the pandemic.

The numbers seem higher here. By my count, 10 dry cleaners have closed in the East Village since the start of the pandemic... Dion Cleaners on 14th Street, 
Amy's aka C & C on Seventh Street, LT Baron's on 11th Street, Sun's Laundry on 14th StreetBest Ave. B Dry Cleaners on Avenue B,  AAA Cleaners on Avenue AExquisite Cleaners on First Avenue, Sunrise Cleaners on Third Street and Danny Cleaner's on 10th Street (they merged with Lois Cleaners on the southeast corner of 10th Street and Third Avenue).

Back on Thursday, local community groups gathered outside outside Michelle Dry Cleaners & Laundry on Avenue C to call on state legislators to support commercial rent relief for small businesses. 

A new pizzeria for the former Muzzarella Pizza space on Avenue A

A new pizzeria is coming soon to 221 Avenue A between 13th Street and 14th Street. Signage arrived on Friday for Burrata Pizza 

With Burrata's arrival, this officially marks the end of Muzzarella Pizza, which quietly closed early last summer.

Muzzarella, which opened here in 1991, had many fans who appreciated their low-key, unpretentious vibe and solid slices and menu offerings like the meatball hero.

New signage for the incoming Greenwich Marketplace on 4th Avenue

We have a changing of the awning here on the northwest corner of Fourth Avenue and 12th Street ... the top pic shows the new look... and this photo via EVG reader Doug offers the now-replaced late-December version...
Liking the new version much better. You?

The market has been in the works for several months now... when they do open, they'll be serving up a variety of house-made sandwiches and juices ... as well as some grocery fare that you'd expect to find at a corner market. 

Openings: Mi Salsa Kitchen on Allen and Houston; Davidovich Bagels on Avenue A

Mi Salsa Kitchen opened back on Friday here on the southwest corner of Allen and Houston. 

As previously reported, the restaurant serves Cuban cuisine via chef Mikel Presa ... and offers a modestly priced menu... with meat and chicken dishes, served with two sides and a salad, starting at $11. 

Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Find them on Instagram here ... or at the other of a phone: (646) 649-4929.

Also... ICYMI from Friday ... Davidovich Bagels is now in soft-open mode at 36 Avenue A between Second Street and Third Street...
Hours: 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Website here. Phone here: (646) 559-2553.