–The Lowline team must raise $10 million in the next 12 months to fulfill one of the city’s requirements for leasing the underground space to the not-for-profit organization. Co-founder Dan Barasch says, “We’ve had a whole range of potential private donors who said they were interested in contributing, but wondered how viable it was, and if city would get behind it.” Now, the fundraising efforts have received a big boost. [Inc]
–Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen says of the Lowline, ““Anyone who thinks this is about gentrification, it’s not… What’s happening above ground is happening. This is about bringing an acre of open space to a neighborhood starving for it, and they’re starving for it because there’s nowhere to build it anymore. Except now we’ve found somewhere.” [New York Magazine]
(We’ll have a full report from last night’s community board meeting later today, with more details about the Lowline’s agreement with the city and comments from those opposed to the project. The Lo-Down first reported this story last night at 6:30 p.m.)
–Five Brooklyn bodegas were raided yesterday following a wave of K2 overdoes. A supervisor at the Bowery Mission said K2 was a problem around the Lower East Side homeless shelter this past winter before the organization changed its policies to minimize people gathering outside. [New York Times]
–Two Orchard Street restaurants were burglarized. [DNA Info]
–The Bowery Market opens today. [EV Grieve]
–Albert Trummer (yes, the guy who likes to light drinks on fire) has opened a bar called Sanatorium on Avenue B. [New York Times]
