–Due to high vacancy rates in shopping districts like Soho, Manhattan retail rents are now experiencing their “deepest and longest slump” in 17 years. [New York Post]
–NYCHA says fewer than two dozen kids tested positive for high lead levels in their blood. But an earlier report identified many more cases, calling into question the accuracy of the housing authority’s findings. [WNYC]
–The designers of 196 Orchard St., Ben Shaoul’s Lower East Side condo project, imported handmade bronze-glazed brick from Spain. “We looked for a material humble enough to belong comfortably on the scrappy Lower East Side and luxurious enough to attract a contemporary resident,” says Adam Rolston of INC. [Robb Report]
–An update on the Swiss Institute’s new facility. [EV Grieve]
–The hotly anticipated restaurant, Tang Hotpot, opens on Monday at 135 Bowery. “Having weathered weeks of delays, this sleek Sichuan-accented restaurant from Yu Li, a partner in the East Village noodle spot the Tang, is about to deliver restorative fare that suits the season.” [New York Times]
–(Video) In celebration of the newly improved bike access to the Williamsburg Bridge in Brooklyn. [Streetfilms]
