An empty lot, 145 Ludlow, is getting a temporary makeover. Two event planners have rented the stalled construction site (between Rivington and Stanton) for the month of August and plan to turn it into a “Timeshare Backyard.”
According to the Wall Street Journal, Jacqui Kavanagh and Jessica Resler of the Participation Agency (an events firm) will be renting the 3200 square foot lot by the hour to anyone seeking summertime suburban bliss:
Their business plan is simple. For $50 an hour, renters (and up to 30 of their friends) can enjoy the yard as is, or choose from a menu of add-ons ranging from a pack of hot dogs ($5, buns extra) to a Slip ‘n’ Slide ($100) to a live band ($5,000 and up). The women hired set designer Zac Mitchell to select the backyard props— the grills, the sprinkler and the boom box (complete with mix tapes filled with summer hits from the 1980s and 1990s). He’s also willing to fulfill renters’ more unusual requests. “If you can dream it, we can create it. We can make it snow in the yard or we can rent you a puppy,” Mr. Mitchell said.
The site is owned by Lower East Side realtor and developer Sion Misrahi. “This is exactly the kind of thing we should be doing with temporary space here rather than leaving it vacant,” Misrahi told the Journal. He’s charging Kavanagh and Resler $12,000 for the month. They said other brokers balked at the idea, “citing noise concerns and the short-term nature of the lease.” Loud events won’t be permitted after 8 p.m.
According to Buildings Department records, Mistrahi wants to build a six story building with 10 apartments and two commercial spaces at 145 Ludlow. But the city has rejected the initial plans. The lot has been vacant for about five years.
