A controversial Lower East Side property owner has a new acquisition: a 20-unit apartment building at the corner of Rivington and Pitt streets.
According to city records, the property changed hands this summer for $7.625 million. The new owner is SMSIS Rivington LLC, which appears to be a branch of Mahfar’s SMS Equities.  His firm has numerous holdings on the LES, including 177 Ludlow St. (where the organic grocery store Earth Matters was once located). Residents in another building owned by Mahfar, 143 Ludlow, filed a lawsuit, claiming they were be driven out by dangerous conditions caused by ongoing renovations. As we have reported, Mahfar is a partner in a new 13-story residential project on East Houston Street.
According to StreetEasy, there are no current listings at 210 Rivington. Earlier this month, a 2-bedroom unit rented for $2700. This particular intersection sees a good deal of police activity. There have been multiple shooting incidents, one deadly, at the location.
There are three ground floor retail spaces at 210 Rivington. When we stopped by today, a Department of Health closure notice from last winter was still affixed to the drop-down gate at Recoup Lounge, a nightlife spot within the building that has been on the 7th precinct’s radar in the past couple of years. According to State Liquor Authority records, the bar’s liquor license expired at the end of July.
