–The most depressing real estate project on the Lower East Side, the redevelopment of the old Sunshine Cinema, is moving forward. East End Capital and K Property Group have locked in a $67 million construction loan. [Crain’s]
–At the Market Line, developers of the Essex Crossing mega=project are looking, “to evoke the teeming environment of immigrants and pushcarts that characterized the Lower East Side starting in the 19th century.” [New York Times]
–Justin Davidson weighs in on Essex Crossing writing, “In a development largely without Instagrammable architecture, it’s the unlikely Rubik’s cube of uses that gives cause for thanks. Instead of treating the area as a blank slate for a developer’s dream, planners stitched together institutions, homes, entertainment, offices, non-deluxe shopping, cheap food, sidewalks, wide avenues, and narrow streets. The result is neither a new high-gloss enclave nor a bastion of 1970s anarchy, but a place that’s just messy, dense, and motley enough to feels like New York again.” [New York Magazine]
–The last members of the Hells Angels have moved out of their East 3rd Street clubhouse. [EV Grieve]
–Now that Albany has finally acted, City Council member Margaret Chin and some of her colleagues are pushing for a 5 cent fee on paper bags. [Gothamist]
–Good news for local journalism! “The City” debuts with several interesting stories, including this investigation of the mayor’s ferry boat follies. [The City]
–Records have been salvaged from the old Bowery Savings Bank. [New York Times]
–Checking out Winnie’s, the beloved karaoke lounge reborn on East Broadway: “The rectangular room has ambiguously underdesigned décor. The dark wood bar is decorated with a ZZ plant and a framed photo of (the owner Winnie) Mui with Bill Clinton; a small stage and red booths conjure the spirit of its first location.” [New York Times]
–A Vietnamese coffee shop is opening up within An Choi on Orchard Street. [Eater]
