Since we posted Community Board 3’s agenda last week, we’ve been getting quite a few questions from readers about a restaurant that appeared to be moving into 221 East Broadway, the old Mayflower Hotel building. According to the agenda, a place called the “Pigeon Cafe” was seeking a full bar in this vacant corner spot.
Neighbors hungry for more dining options on the “Lower Lower East Side” will be disappointed to hear this item has now been removed from the SLA Committee’s January 10th docket. David Slaven of Red Brick Properties, the owner of the building, tells us he’s never heard of “Pigeon Cafe.” Several prospective tenants (including some restaurant operators) have seen the space but, as of yesterday, no one was close to signing a lease.
In the past couple of years, 221 East Broadway has been undergoing a major transformation. Many of the 26 apartments in the six story building have been renovated. In November, Nicole Slaven (David’s sister) opened Dora, a coffee shop in the building.
In a phone conversation, David Slaven indicated he’d like to see a restaurant on the ground floor, but he’s open to other types of businesses. At one point, a high end wine shop was considering the space. He would consider dividing it in two or combining it was the adjacent storefront, which is also vacant. The building is located across from the Seward Park Cooperative and down the block from the Educational Alliance. The only other full service restaurant on this stretch of East Broadway is Cafe Petisco.
It’s not uncommon for restaurant/bar operators to apply for liquor licenses before signing a lease. In fact, CB3 District Manager Susan Stetzer said the community board prefers it this way. But the SLA Committee assumes operators seeking liquor permits have at least had preliminary discussions with potential landlords. In this case, the applicant had advised CB3 of its intentions but had not filed a full application.
If you have interest in the commercial space at 221 East Broadway, you can email leasing agent Morris Sabbagh at morris@lpgnewyork.com.
