The Lo-Down : News from the Lower East Side

City Council member Margaret Chin and Mayor de Blasio at last month's town hall. Photo: NYC Mayor's Office.

Council member Chin’s Foes Take Legal Action Over Seized Flyers at Town Hall

Stanton Street Shul Begins Urgent Building Repairs

Wizard of Oz Comes to Seward Park July 15

Lower East Side Links

–Mapping more than 30 new development projects on the Lower East Side. “The area’s growing trend towards high-end residential units bucks decades of the neighborhood’s existence—as a landing place for immigrants around the turn of the 20th century, and as a place of respite for those who couldn’t afford surrounding neighborhoods…” [Curbed]

–Retail vacancies are up 10% in Manhattan. [The Real Deal]

–In an opinion piece, City Council member Margaret Chin calls on the city to lift up immigrant communities through homeownership programs. [City & State]

–Mom and pop stores on the ropes: Kirsten Theodos of TakeBackNYC asks why the City Council refuses to take up the Small Business Jobs Survival Act. [City Limits]

–Tamara Shopsin is out with a new book about the family’s quirky restaurant, now located in the Essex Street Market. “It’s the consummate insider’s account, a treasure trove of lore, legend, and anecdote, the closest thing to an official history that (Shopsin’s) is likely to get.” [The New Yorker]

–We have a couple of cat cafes. Now the neighborhood is apparently getting its first dog cafe. [This Dog’s Life]

Apartment of the Week, Sponsored by Halstead Property

Unique opportunity for a 1750 sf three or four bedroom combination apartment. These two adjoining units would need to be combined and could be configured in a variety of ways. …

Good Morning!

Friday, July 21, 2017 | Donald Davis took this photo on St. Mark’s Place between Avenue A and First Avenue. | Weather: Another hot one. Look for sunny skies today and a high of 96. Mostly cloudy and 91 tomorrow with possible PM thunderstorms. Cloudy and stormy on Sunday with a high of 78. | If you would like to share a neighborhood picture with us, send it to: tips@thelodownny.com or tag us on Instagram at #LoDownNY.

Rendering shows four large-scale projects coming to the waterfront in the Two Bridges area.

Chin, Brewer Plan Friday Rally to Urge Rejection of Mega Towers in Two Bridges Area (Updated)

It looks like the battle over three new large-scale towers on the waterfront in the Two Bridges area is escalating. …

Lower East Side Links

–A civilian employee of the NYPD was arrested and charged with robbing a bank in Chinatown. [DNAinfo]

–The Cooper Square Committee is one of four organizations receiving funding to develop a community land trust. [City Limits]

–A look at the battle across New York between community gardeners and the city administration, which is planning to build affordable housing on some garden parcels. The Elizabeth Street Garden brouhaha is part of the story. [Commercial Observer]

–State Sen. Brad Hoylman is worried that an appeals court decision favorable to Sheldon Silver will imperil rent stabilized tenants. [Real Estate Weekly]

–At least one editorial board welcomes Shelly Silver’s legal victory and hopes federal prosecutors will drop the case. [Jewish Press]

–The Met Council has chosen another politically connected CEO. Some believe David Greenfield could save the scandal-battered charity, but others are concerned about potentially repeating past mistakes. [The Forward]

“Very Bad Bank Robber” Arrested After Failed Lower East Side Heists

A guy described by cops as a “very bad bank robber” was taken into custody on the Lower East Side yesterday. …

Clinton Street entrance - Seward Park Co-op's parking garage.

Judge Dismisses Seward Park Co-op Parking Garage Lawsuit

A legal dispute at the Seward Park Cooperative over changes in the use of the residential complex’s parking garage ended yesterday when a state supreme court judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by residents against their own board of directors. …

Good Morning!

Thursday, July 20, 2017 | David Sierra took this photo from Mechanics Alley. | Weather: Mostly sunny today and very humid with a high of 96. A hear advisory is in effect until 8 p.m. | If you would like to share a neighborhood picture with us, send it to: tips@thelodownny.com or tag us on Instagram at #LoDownNY.

Indulge in a Sake Tasting and Food Pairing This Tuesday, Sponsored by Char Sue

On Tuesday, July 25, 2017, join us at Char Sue for our first ever Sake Tasting & Food Pairing event!

Stop ‘N’ Swap Comes to Columbus Park on Sunday

Coming up on Sunday in Chinatown, Grow NYC is hosting one of its Stop ‘N’ Swap events. …

Lower East Side Links

–Halpern Real Estate Ventures and SMA Equities close on their sale of 331 East Houston St., a residential building. The sales price was $62 million. The project was developed several years ago for a little over $50 million. [Commercial Observer]

–A watchdog group says NYCHA is in no way prepared for the Trump administration’s assault on public housing. [Daily News]

–It’s not all that easy for artists to live on the Lower East Side these days. A new study shows that there were 2,413 artists living in the neighborhood in 2015, as opposed to 2,909 in the year 2000. look out Bushwick, your days are numbered. [Time Out]

–Jake Dell of Katz’s Deli talks about his decision to open up an outpost in Brooklyn, whether he’ll take the concept nationwide and why the family’s decision to sell their air rights makes the business stronger in the long term. [Grub Street]

–Griffin Hansbury, known to you as Jeremiah Moss, lands on the cover of the Village Voice. [The Village Voice]

Report: William Rapfogel Was Released From Prison in May

William Rapfogel, former head of the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty, has been released from prison …

Good Morning!

Wednesday, July 19, 2017 | Alan LeNoble took this photo over the weekend on Orchard Street, in front of the Tenement Museum. | Weather: Mostly sunny with a stray afternoon shower possible and a high of 92. | If you would like to share a neighborhood picture with us, send it to: tips@thelodownny.com or tag us on Instagram at #LoDownNY.

Lower East Side Links

–Cops are looking for a suspect who groped a woman on the L Train last week. [Channel 4]

–The story of the “Lower East Side hoarder” that made the rounds in the past couple of days is, of course not so simple. A resident of the building. located above East Houston Street, offers a fuller picture of what was happening inside the apartment depicted in that tabloid-ready video. [EV Grieve]

–Residents showed up at a community board meeting to complain about 14a bus service, but was the MTA listening? [DNAinfo]

–Public Advocate candidate David Eisenbach says the only hope for saving places like Cup and Saucer is the Small Business Jobs Survival Act, a measure that the mayor and current public advocate supported as candidates but rejected once in office. [Channel 11]

–Local documentary photographers/preservationists James and Karla Murray pay one last visit to Cup & Saucer. [James & Karla Murray Photography]

–A key landlord group, the Rent Stabilization Association, is spending big ahead of this year’s local elections. Donald Capoccia of BFC Partners (part of the Essex Crossing development consortium) has donated $10,000 to one of the association’s political action committees. [The Real Deal]

–NY1 reporter Zack Fink singles out former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara after a federal appeals court threw out Sheldon Silver’s corruption conviction. He writes: “Silver was always just east of the line of legality. He knew where to go and where not to, which was why it was so surprising to see him in handcuffs. The problem of course is that Bharara danced on his grave a little early.” [State of Politics]