[Updated] Irving Plaza has an announcement to make today

The recently renovated Irving Plaza is announcing something this morning at 10... likely reopening plans for the venue here on Irving Place at 15th Street... (Updated: They announced 41 shows starting in August.)

The 1,200-capacity music venue closed back in July 2019 for what was to be an eight-month rehab, which ended up putting the potential reopening right at the start of the pandemic PAUSE in March 2020.

As for the renovations, here's what Pollstar reported:

Improvements at the 150-year-old Union Square building will include revamps of the lobby area and the music hall, new bars on all levels of the venue, a new downstairs VIP lounge, and the remodeling of the mezzanine including a new box-seating section configuration located on the mezzanine. 

The venue has been in use for concerts for the past 41 years. The Polish Army Veterans of America have owned the building since 1948. Here's more history via the Irving Plaza website:

Originally, the building was four separate brownstones, which were eventually combined into a hotel in the 1870s. In 1927, the building was gutted and turned into a ballroom-style theater and christened Irving Plaza.

Over the next few decades, Irving Plaza would serve as a union meeting house, a performance space for folk dance troupes, and a Polish Army Veteran community center, as well as a venue for the Peoples Songs Hootenannies with Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie. 

In 1978, Irving Plaza was converted into a rock music concert hall, where EVG once saw Dogstar for some reason.

In late 2017, Michael Swier, co-owner of Bowery Ballroom and Mercury Lounge and an original founder of the Bowery Presents, and Live Nation Entertainment created promotions and booking venture called Mercury East Presents.  Their combined venues include the Mercury Lounge, Bowery Ballroom, Irving Plaza, Gramercy Theatre and Warsaw. The other facilities already have shows books in the months ahead.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Irving Plaza is now closed for renovations 

New Bagel Boss location now with Bagel Boss signage

Bagel Boss signage/branding is up now on 55 E. Houston St. at Mott Street (the former Oddfellows space).

This will be one of two new BBs in the neighborhood (first reported here). There's also one coming to 238 E. 14th St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue, though no sign of signage there just yet. Both are expected to open this summer.

The owners of Bagel Boss recently discussed their expansion plans with Forbes:

Founder Adam Rosner explains that "At the beginning (of the pandemic), we got our teeth kicked in like the majority of New York City. We innovated, did a lot of shipping and now see a little spark in walking traffic."

Andrew Hazen, a partner, says it opted to expand during a pandemic because "We believe in the future of New York City, and we felt now is the perfect time to invest in it while rents are currently tenant-friendly."

In fact, Rosner asserts that he was able to secure two long-term leases in Manhattan with rents that were 35 percent to 40 percent below previous market levels.

Bagel Boss, founded in 1975, will now have 15 locations in NYC and on Long Island.  

Week in Grieview

Posts from this past week include (with a photo from Tompkins Square Park by Derek Berg)...

• Cinema Paradiso looks to bring foreign and independent films to Avenue A, though CB3 isn't completely into it (Monday)

• Report: Now there's an East River Park construction lawsuit (Monday) 

• There are 3 (!!!) chicks for red-tailed hawks Amelia and Christo in Tompkins Square Park (Tuesday) 

• Expanded C&B Cafe nearly ready (Tuesday) 

• This East Village Easter footage from 1966 includes a crucifixion in Tompkins Square Park (Friday) 

• NYPL plans to expand services at all branches by mid-July (Tuesday) 

• Gallery Watch checks out My Snake is Bigger Than Your Snake (Wednesday) 

• Mom is sweating in this week's NY See (Thursday)

• Checking in on 2 under-renovation properties along this charming block of 7th Street (Thursday) 

• Sunspot! (Wednesday) 

• Another Tony's Pizza for the East Village, this one for the former Vinny Vincenz space (Wednesday) More pizza for a former pizzeria (Thursday) 

• 32 Avenue C is now shorter (Tuesday) 

• Ray's Pizza & Bagel Cafe owner eyes new concept for 2 St. Mark's Place (Wednesday) 

• The Ukrainian Museum is back open on 6th Street (Friday) 

• Coyote Ugly makes it official on 14th Street (Friday) 

• Opinion: The overlooked stakeholders and potential bias in the Open Restaurants program (Wednesday)  

• Yubu bringing Korean food and beverages to 7th Street (Tuesday) 

• Original Nicky's Vietnamese Sandwiches lives on in a new Avenue A location (Monday) 

• Report: Man stabbed, robbed of his e-bike in Tompkins Square Park (Thursday) 

• Openings: Sanshi Noodle House on 2nd Avenue (Monday) 

• Little Rebel announces itself on 2nd Avenue (Monday) 

• Coffee shop slated for 194 1st Ave. (Thursday) 

... and from Friday in Tompkins Square Park, a tree climber (photo by Steven) ...

It sparked a mini-debate — yes, climbing a tree in an NYC city park is illegal.

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Follow EVG on Instagram or Twitter for more frequent updates and pics. 

EVG Etc.: The fate of Raphael Toledano's bankrupt EV portfolio; the free fitness classes on Avenue B

• In $153 million deal, Madison Realty Capital closes on Raphael Toledano's bankrupt East Village portfolio (The Real Deal ... previously on EVG) 

• A long read on the reconstruction plans for East River Park (Curbed) 

• Mayor de Blasio signs Open Streets bill into law (amNY ... previously on EVG) 

• New Yorkers on the CDC's new mask guidelines (Gothamist) 

• An East Village-focused look back at the pandemic's darkest days (The Nation) 

• The new show at the Housing gallery on the LES pays tribute to Steven Cannon, founder of the East Village-based A Gathering of the Tribes (Hyperallergic ... previously on EVG) 

• A list of the free fitness activities on the Open Streets of Avenue B (Instagram ... flyer) 

• Joyface reopened on Avenue C and Seventh Street this past week (Instagram) 

• Rough Trade's new NYC home — after seven years in Williamsburg — will be in Rockefeller Center (Official site) 

Photo of a familiar car around the neighborhood from Sixth Street between Avenue C and Avenue D

Checking in on the grocery cart garden

The grocery cart garden that arrived last spring on Fourth Street at the Bowery ... has survived is first year... and as these photos from today show, the garden is thriving...

As the sign says: "Please do not remove plants!"

Sunday's opening shot

For anyone keeping track, the Blondie mural on Bleecker at the Bowery has been restored ... this after being tagged last month... after being restored back in December.

Shepard Fairy's mural has been here since August 2017.

Saturday's parting shot

Thanks to Steven for this photo of the young hawk watchers in Tompkins Square Park... the resident red-tailed hawks, Amelia and Christo, have three chicks in the nest this spring...

May 15

As seen today on Fourth Street between Avenue A and First Avenue... thanks to Carol from East 5th Street for the photo!

Crate digging!: A soft reopening today with sidewalk sales at A-1 Records

A-1 Records is closer to in-store shopping again... ahead of that today (Saturday!), the Sixth Street mainstay will be holding a sidewalk sale featuring "tons of cheap LPs and 45s." 

The shop has been online only for sales during the pandemic (with curbside pickup too). 

A-1, which opened in 1996, is at 439 E. Sixth St. between Avenue A and First Avenue.

Image via Instagram

The Starbucks on Avenue A and St. Mark's Place will be 'opening soon'

Updated: Reopened as of May 17. The Starbucks on Avenue A and St. Mark's Place remains closed (10 to 14 days now?)... however, there is an addition to the "temporarily closed" signage... a handwritten note with a smiley face stating "opening soon" ...

Starbucks opened at this spot in August 2017.

Bring it on

 

We've featured the music of local band Pom Pom Squad several times in the past... they recently released "Head Cheerleader" (video above!) from their first LP, Death of a Cheerleader, out on June 25. 

And Pom Pom Squad will be supporting Bully out on tour later this summer.

Who's on 1st? East Village Flea

The next East Village Flea (aka Nexus Flea) happens tomorrow (Saturday!) on First Street and First Avenue (Peretz Square) from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. 

The flea market started on April 3 (relive that one here!) ... and they're running every other Saturday for now. In case you haven't been yet.

Why you might see Art in Odd Places on 14th Street this weekend

Via the EVG inbox...this is happening today through Sunday...

Art in Odd Places (AiOP) 2021: NORMAL, curated by Furusho von Puttkammer, invites artists to critique and dissect the American Mythos for AiOP’s 16th annual public art and performance festival taking place from Avenue C to the Hudson River along 14th Street ...

Visit the AiOP website for more details and a list of participating artists.

This East Village Easter footage from 1966 includes a crucifixion in Tompkins Square Park

James Maher, our longtime blog friend (and creator of this now-retired EVG series), shared a 3-minute video clip with us. His grandparents and mother were born and raised on Fifth Street between Avenue A and Avenue B. 

The video below is from Easter Sunday 1966 in the East Village. It starts on Fifth Street between Avenue A and Avenue B. You'll also see some scenes in Tompkins Square Park where, at the 1:40 mark, the kids are treated to an interpretation of the crucifixion of Jesus. 

James' cousin Donna, one of the girls in the video, provided some narrative: 

My dad shot these videos. We were all going to Easter Mass at Most Holy Redeemer then to Nana Julie's and Grandpa Walter's for Easter lunch. We were waving to my Grandma Anna in the window. Others on the street were are family friends and neighbors all getting together for Easter. 

The hippies had moved into the neighborhood and basically took over the Park. On Easter, they built their version of the crucifixion with human skulls, etc. It didn't last long as some of the local guys knocked it down because it upset their wives and mothers. 

The street-front store is next to the Chic Choc bar [now Sophie's]...it belonged to Willie Silverman. He and his son Sidney bought closeouts from department stores and wholesalers. Every night the neighborhood would gather in front of his hole in the wall to see what crap bargains we could get. These were great times!"  

See for yourself... (and there is no sound on the clip)...

 

Video shot by John Sagan!

The Ukrainian Museum is back open on 6th Street

The Ukrainian Museum reopened on May 5 at 222 E. Sixth St. between Second Avenue and Cooper Square ... back for the first time since the PAUSE in March 2020. 

Among the current exhibits: "In Bloom: Nature and Art," which "explores the impact of the flower motif through the prism of Ukraine’s folk art traditions and the works of its preeminent artists of the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries." 

The museum, founded in 1976 by the Ukrainian National Women's League of America, is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

There is a limited capacity for now and masks are required. You can check out the visitor info page for more details.

Coyote Ugly makes it official on 14th Street

The Coyote Ugly signage went up yesterday at their new saloon at 233 E. 14th Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue. (Thanks to Pinch for the photo!)

No mention yet of an opening date here on IHOP Way.

As we first reported this past September, Coyote Ugly permanently closed its home of 27 years at 153 First Ave. between Ninth Street and 10th Street. (That space is currently going under a gut renovation for lord knows what.)

In announcing the closure, CEO and founder Lil Lovell had this to say in a video clip: "After sitting closed for six months due to COVID restrictions, we simply can't afford to pay the rent." 

This First Avenue location was the original Coyote Ugly — featuring bartop dancing, body shots and guilt for ordering water. There are now more than two-dozen global outposts.

No. 233 was previously home to the Blind Pig, the sports bar/pub, which closed in June 2019. 

A full FULL reveal on 1st Avenue and 2nd Street

OK! Here's a look at the southeast corner of First Avenue and Second Street... where workers have cleared away most of the construction materials from outside the all-new 24 First Ave., including at the Second Street side of the development.

The two buildings that made up the L-shaped parcel — 24 First Ave. and  99-101 E. Second St. — were demolished to make room for the 101 Condominium, a 7-story, 23-unit condoplex.

And here's a view from the side along First Street between First Avenue and Avenue A...

Our previous post has the 411 on the 101.

Previously on EV Grieve:

• Onetime home of Lucky Cheng's and adjacent property sell for $12 million

• Demolition permits filed to bring down former Lucky Cheng's building on 1st Avenue

• The 411 on the 101 Condominium

Report: Man stabbed, robbed of his e-bike in Tompkins Square Park

A man was stabbed in his hip late this afternoon during a robbery inside the entrance to Tompkins Square Park on Seventh Street and Avenue A. 

The two men apparently knew each other. 

Per the Post:

The 55-year-old victim was sitting on a bench in the East Village park at around 4:30 p.m., and got up when a man he knew approached him, according to cops and law enforcement sources. 

"Sit your ass down, you are not leaving," the perp snarled, before grabbing the bike and knifing the victim, according to the sources.

EMTs took the victim to Bellevue, where he was reportedly treated for a puncture wound in the left hip/groin area.

Grant Shaffer's NY See

Here's the latest NY See panel, East Village-based illustrator Grant Shaffer's observational sketch diary of things that he sees and hears around the neighborhood and NYC...

Checking in on 2 under-renovation properties along this charming block of 7th Street

Here's a look at the recently renovated 264 E. Seventh St. between Avenue C and Avenue D.

According to the approved permit filed with the city, the owners had No. 264 gut-renovated and converted to a two-family dwelling (from three units),  leaving the building's exterior in place and adding an extension in the rear.

You can see the exterior results of this work in the top two photos... as it still fits in this row of like-minded residences.

Things didn't look so good here in September 2016, when a permit was filed with the DOB to demolish the three-level, circa 1842 townhouse.

Preservations rallied to try to have the string of pastel-colored residences considered for landmarking. However, in late October 2017, the Landmarks Preservation Commission refused to consider them for such a designation.

In April 2019, word came via the Village Preservation that new owners purchased the property and nixed a full demolition. (Public records show an LLC paid $7.7 million for the address.)

And as noted before, Felicia Bond lived in the garden duplex at No. 264 when she illustrated the renowned children's book "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" in the mid-1980s.

Meanwhile,  two residences to the east, the three-level 268 E. Seventh St., didn't fare as well ... demolition continues here... and the insides have been gutted...

Plans, as well as owners, have changed here in the past two years. Approved permits on file with the city show that workers are adding a vertical enlargement to bring the building to six stories... which will boost the number of units to six. 

Actor John Leguizamo owned No. 268 starting in 1995. In February 2013, the building hit the market with a $4 million ask. However, as Curbed noted at the time:

It's unclear how recently Leguizamo lived in the place, or whether or not he even still owns it — the deed was transferred to an LLC in 2002, and the listing says that it was "Recently a single family residence; currently used as a 3-family" ...

Leguizamo watchers on the block say that the actor moved away about 2001 or 2002.

Highpoint Property Group is now listed as the owner... picking up the property for $4.3 million in the fall of 2019, per public records. The Group's other East Village properties include The Slater at 174-176 First Ave. ... The Topanga at 202 Avenue A ... and The Callahan at 100 Second Ave.

More pizza for a former pizzeria

Look for more pizza on the high-profile corner of Second Avenue at 10th Street.

Signs arrived yesterday for Marinara Pizza ... (thanks to Steven for the photos!)

This will be the fifth outpost for the pizzeria, which has locations on the UES, UWS, Midtown East and Park Avenue South. (I've never had their pizza. Anyone?)

Two buzzy pizza joints have been at this address (160 Second Ave.) in recent years. Lions & Tigers & Squares — the Detroit-style pizzeria from the Artichoke team — debuted in October 2019 before closing during the pandemic last summer. 

And before this... Nicoletta spent six-plus years in business here until the end of 2018.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Cafe Centosette closes on Second Avenue

AuH20 Thriftique popping up for 2 days in former 7th Street home

AuH20 Thriftique is making an encore presentation tomorrow and Saturday in the shop's former home at 84 E. Seventh St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue. 

Per an Instagram post: 

Popping up at the old storefront, 84 E. 7th St., on Friday & Saturday, May 14 & 15, from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Stop by if you're in the East Village! We will also be buying! Bring your used clothes and accessories ... And we'll be bringing "wait to bundle" bags in case you'd like to pick up in person.

After 14 years of selling stylish women's vintage clothes and accessories, Kate Goldwater, who opened the storefront after graduating from college, shut down the business last fall.

She is continuing to offer items online. 

Image via Instagram 

Coffee shop slated for 194 1st Ave.

Updated June 2: Cafe Sandra is now open!

A coffee shop called Cafe Sandra has signed a lease at 194 First Ave. between 11th Street and 12th Street.

Cafe Sandra already has a website. And despite what the site states, they are not yet open for business. The storefront is empty.

The previous tenant, Space 194, a hybrid tea-coffee shop-gallery, closed in early 2020 after nearly a year in service.

The address was previously the Neptune. The Polish-American diner shut down in December 2016 after 15 years in business. After their departure, the landlord divided up the restaurant into two storefronts.

Photo by Steven. H/T Upper West Sider!

Wednesday's parting shot of a Basquiat painting that just sold for $93.1 million

Jean-Michel Basquiat's painting titled In This Case sold for $93.1 million last night at Christie's. 

The record price paid for a Basquiat at auction came in 2017 when another painting of a skull sold to the Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa for $110.5 million. 

As for last night, Bloomberg provides the play-by-play...

As the lot opened up to a salesroom populated exclusively by cameras and auction house specialists, Gemma Sudlow, a senior vice president at Christie's who was leading the auction, opened bidding at $40 million, and quickly brought its price to $52 million.

And...

Soon, six bidders began to vie for the work, slowly pushing its price in increments ranging from $1 million to $3 million. After about six minutes of bidding, the nearly 6.5 foot-high (2 meters) painting hammered at $81 million. Auction house fees payable by the buyer added on another $12 million.

And...

The painting was last purchased publicly in 2002, when it sold at Sotheby’s for just under $1 million. It then sold privately in 2007 for an undisclosed sum. The seller on Tuesday night, according to reports, was former Valentino chairman Giancarlo Giammetti; the buyer was not immediately known.

Basquiat died of a heroin overdose in 1988 at his home-studio at 57 Great Jones St. between the Bowery and Lafayette. He was 27.

Image via Christie's

Today in sunspots

Felton Davis of the Second Avenue Star Watchers shared this today...

Crystal-clear blue sky this afternoon, for an unusually large sunspot left of center, but the attempt to angle my aging telescope almost straight up was very difficult. Joanne stayed the course through about 45 minutes of agonizing adjustments, and then the sun promptly disappeared behind the clouds. The sunspot was approximately 8,000 miles in diameter, or a hundredth of the diameter of the sun.

... and a view of the sunspot...

... and the size of the sunspot next to Earth for a little comparison...

According to NASA: "The sun ... is roughly 109 times the diameter of the Earth — about one million Earths could fit inside the sun." 

And a word of warning from Felton if you want to start sunspot spotting: "Do not stare at the sun for any length of time, and do not point a telescope at it unless you have a very thick filter covering the tube."

Christopher Meloni brings 'Law & Order' to Astor Place

"Law & Order: Organized Crime" has been filming along the Bowery, Cooper Square and Astor Place this week... Derek Berg spotted Det. Stabler, aka Christopher Meloni, near Fourth Avenue and Ninth Street prepping for a scene...

The last time we saw Meloni in the East Village, he was carrying a chainsaw on St. Mark's Place.

Gallery Watch: 'My Snake Is Bigger Than Your Snake' at Freight + Volume

Text and photos by Clare Gemima  

Rebecca Goyette's My Snake is Bigger Than Your Snake

Freight + Volume Gallery, 97 Allen St.

My Snake is Bigger Than Your Snake is definitely a sight for sore eyes from the instant you stand in front of Freight + Volume on Allen Street. 

Visible before entering the gallery, a video of humans in dog suits giving birth, humping and licking all sorts of different things invites onlookers shamelessly into the space. 

Regardless of this show’s potent R18 feel, colors explode playfully throughout the gallery as you experience the artist’s multifaceted skill set displayed through illustration, soft sculpture, video work, and in her most exciting execution, ceramics. 

Reading about this show, I discovered so much extrapolated narrative attached to it that I would like to encourage readers to visit and interpret the art for themselves. I say this because often the charm of a great show is rubbed away by some forceful and didactic description that 1) an average gallery-goer may never read in the first place and 2) is a load of just utter, out-of-touch bullshit. 

I think the conflict I face regarding this show is that the work is outstandingly attractive to me, yet it presents a dense amount of self-involvement and inaccessible self-consciousness that it becomes less about the beauty of the objects and more about the artist’s lived experience. I can’t tell if this is a good thing or not, but there is so much going on — a successful mind-fuck above all else. 

There is strong authorship in the show that guides viewers through a personal story of Goyette involving the sale of her father's house after he had passed away. The new home-owner turned out to be a right-wing and starchy bum-hole Trump supporter who is crafted (life-size) for a full-on confrontation as you enter the space. He’s grotesque to look at, drowning in snakes and dressed in politically indicative attire. 

This recurring "Snake Man" debuts as No. 1 enemy to our hero and protagonist, Rebecca Goyette, aka Lobsta Queen. The dogs have human dicks, the humans each have two dicks, a group of sausages throws a party, and the art of sex is celebrated positively, strikingly, abjectly. 

Evidence for an aforementioned mind-fuck of a show is particularly blatant in Goyette's collection of ceramics, which are by far the most enticing part of My Snake is Bigger Than Your Snake. Her drawings are particularly tantalizing as well (think animal kingdom stampeding through a Grayson Perry tapestry). 

Go inside the mind of a tortured artist who chooses to torment her audience for fun with child-like and extremely perverse make-believe scenarios. 

My Snake is Bigger Than Your Snake will be showing at Freight +Volume, 97 Allen St., until May 16.

 ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ 

Clare Gemima is a visual artist from New Zealand. New-ish to the East Village, she spends her time as an artist assistant and gallery go-er, hungry to explore what's happening in her local art world. You can find her work here: claregemima.com 

Ray's Pizza & Bagel Cafe owner eyes new concept for 2 St. Mark's Place

The owner of Ray's Pizza & Bagel Cafe on Third Avenue and St. Mark's Place has plans to open an Italian restaurant-bar in the adjacent space at 2 St. Mark's Place...   

Efthymios Papadopoulos will appear before CB3's SLA committee tonight for a new liquor license for the currently empty restaurant. The online application (link here) shows that the establishment would have 12 tables for 40 guests and a 12-seat bar. The proposed hours are 11:30 a.m. to 4 a.m. daily.

The previous tenant at 2 St. Mark's Place, Eliza's Local, didn't make it out of the pandemic, closing late last summer after a little more than 18 months in business. 

Before Eliza's, No. 2, next to the entrance of the St. Marks Hotel, was previously Ayios Greek Rotisserie, which quietly closed at the end of 2017 after 16 months in business. St. Mark's Ale House had a 21-year run until July 2016. And once upon a time, it was the second location of the Five Spot Cafe.

Tonight's virtual CB3-SLA committee meeting starts at 6:30. Find the Zoom link here.

Another Tony's Pizza for the East Village, this one for the former Vinny Vincenz space

A coming soon banner for Tony's Pizza now hangs on the front of 231 First Ave. between 13th Street and 14th Street. (Thanks to Steven for the pic!)

Tony's will be taking over the space from Vinny Vincenz, the 18-year-old pizzeria that quietly closed last month — much to the dismay of its regulars.

And this marks the second Tony's Pizza to be arriving in the East Village ... signage showed up outside 128 Second Ave. between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place earlier this month... 

This outpost is taking over from another pizzeria — Nolita Pizza left last June after a year for a newer outpost down on Kenmare Street.

Still no word about who this Tony might be. There was some speculation (or perhaps hope?) that this might be related to the Tony's out on Graham Avenue in East Williamsburg, though the logos don't match up. (We messaged them to ask anyway.) 

The Starbucks on Avenue A and St. Mark's Place has not been open lately

Updated: Reopened as of May 17.

Observers say that the Starbucks location on Avenue A at St. Mark's Place has not been open for the past 7-10 days. 

Signs on the door simply note, "Our store is temporarily closed," with instructions to visit the nearest Starbucks. Calls to this branch result in an outgoing message stating, "your call cannot be completed at this time." 

While two neighborhood Starbucks outposts have closed in recent years (Second Avenue at Ninth Street, Broadway at Ninth Street), this isn't believed to be a permanent shutter. This location has been closed from time to time, like in July 2019 for an electrical issue.

Starbucks opened at this spot in August 2017.

The previous tenant, Nino's, had to close on Oct. 21, 2015, due to a gas leak in the building. On Nov. 17 of that year, Nino's received an eviction notice. Owner Nino Camaj had said that the gas was shut off in the building without any notice to him.

In late November 2015, Camaj's lawyers were reportedly talking with landlord Citi Urban Management to dispute the rent charged for the month during which they weren't open due to the gas leak. Camaj still had 10 years left on his lease and had been in court with the landlords.

He accepted a buyout in February 2016, after having been closed for nearly five months. Camaj told DNAinfo that he could no longer afford the $14,500 monthly rent. 

Photo by Steven!

Opinion: The overlooked stakeholders and potential bias in the Open Restaurants program

Today, the Department of City Planning and the Department of Transporation are inviting "key stakeholders" to a virtual presentation on bringing a permanent Open Restaurants program to life.

According to the invite, this is the "key first element of ... an amendment to the Zoning Resolution that will begin a public review in June."

A longtime East Village small business owner, who is not in the food-beverage industry and feels as if other retail establishments have been overlooked in the city's plans, shared some thoughts about the potential impact this might have on a neighborhood and its residents ... consider this a mini op-ed (opposing viewpoints are welcome) ... 

The biggest stakeholders are actually the residents who live above or beside these sheds and must put up with them so that landlords, restaurants and bars can increase their profit margin at the expense of residents' ability to live peaceably in their homes. 

These real stakeholders have been left out of the process at every turn. It creates another tale of two cities whereby those able to move and/or insulate themselves in their high rises or in areas where the COVID sheds don't exist are quite happy with the program while those who do not have that privilege must bear its burden. 

And the same goes for small business and retail diversity; why would a landlord rent to a retail shop when they can rent to a cafe or bar or restaurant that will have the ability to annex additional square footage in the street? More space equals higher rents equals a bias toward renting to businesses in the hospitality industry versus retail shops.

The Open Restaurants initiative came about in June 2020 to allow the hard-hit restaurant industry to open safely with outside seating while indoor dining was prohibited. It became a major lifeline for the restaurant industry during the pandemic.

Meanwhile, in late April, City Council voted (39-8) to make the Open Streets program permanent.