The local paper for Chelsea
WEEK OF JANUARY
10-16 ◄ P.12
2019
CHELSEA BUILDING TO ‘SHED’ SOME BAGGAGE NEIGHBORHOODS City takes action at a longtime derelict site BY SCOTT STIFFLER
Boarded up and bereft of tenants, an unsightly Chelsea building is getting safety and aesthetic upgrades, the result of emergency actions by NYC’s Department of Buildings (DOB) and Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD). Long the bane of locals, the sidewalk shed (aka bridge) in front of 210 Seventh Ave., which snakes around the northwest corner of West 22nd St., has been approved for removal by HPD contractors — ending its embarrassing reign as an eyesore, but, in the process, eliminating what has served as a destination for people who have chosen to live on the streets instead of seeking shelter. “It’s a dark, abandoned, derelict, miserably dirty site,” said Pamela Wolff, a spokesperson for the Council of Chelsea Block Associations, and a board member of the Chelsea West 200 Block Association. “The building has no power, no source of water, no gas.” Combined with four unoccupied buildings on the diagonal southeast corner (similarly derelict structures, slated to become affordable housing), the “lack of any living presence” in the “unheated shell” at 210 Seventh, Wolff noted, “creates a pretty desolate space” in the neighborhood. “And it’s been that way for so long. Years.” The building has been shuttered since 2002. It once housed Chelsea’s
Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer (center) with Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney and other elected officials in Brooklyn on Sunday, Jan. 6 to call for greater transparency in new L train plans. Photo courtesy of Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer
AVERTING THE ‘L-POCALYPSE’ TRANSPORTATION Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s surprise announcement will keep trains running. But is the new plan the best option?
The recent removal of metal cornice, along with necessary repair work, has cleared the way for the sidewalk shed at 210 Seventh Ave. to be taken down. Photo: Scott Stiffler
This abandoned property and its scaffolding are an unacceptable public safety and quality-of-life menace for the people of Chelsea ... I’m happy that it’s close to being resolved. This has gone on for too long!” NYC Council Speaker Corey Johnson
Espresso Bar, a beloved ground-floor business featured in 1996 by New York magazine (“a bit more down-home than Starbucks”). A March 2012 report by The Real Deal noted the funky java joint was owned by building owner Errol Rainess’ late wife, whose death some in the neighborhood speculate has a connection to the property’s frozen-in-time status. Others theorize it’s retribution for City actions taken after complaints about the lack of nighttime lighting within the shed (since added), and garbage strewn along the length of the property (a problem to this day).
BY DEEPTI HAJELA
Nearly a quarter-million New Yorkers who for years dreaded “L-mageddon,” a planned 15-month shutdown of a key subway tunnel between Manhattan and Brooklyn, got a lastminute reprieve from the governor Thursday with a new plan that will allow repairs to go on at nights and weekends and keep the trains running. Gov. Andrew Cuomo made the surprise announcement just weeks after convening a panel of top engineering experts to take another look at the L train tunnel beneath the East River
CONTINUED ON PAGE 5
Clinton
Chelsea News NY
CHELSEA NEWSNY.COM @Chelsea_news_NY
Crime Watch Voices City Arts NYC Now
3 6 8 10
Restaurant Ratings 18 Business 20 Real Estate 21 15 Minutes 23
WEEK OF APRIL
SPRING ARTS PREVIEW < CITYARTS, P.14
WHO HAS ACCESS TO A PARKING SPACE IN CHELSEA? NEWS
9-16
MANHATTAN'S APARTMENT BOOM, > PROPERTY, P.18
2015
In Brief MORE HELP FOR SMALL BUSINESS
WHAT NEXT FOR CHELSEA GALLERIES?
The effort to help small seems to businesses in the city be gathering steam. Two city councilmembers, Robert Margaret Chin and Cornegy, have introduced create legislation that wouldSmall a new “Office of the within Business Advocate” of Small the city’s Department Business Services. Chin The new post, which have up rezoning told us she’d like to would and the mid-2000s May 1 The and running this year, for of West Chelsea. Muas an ombudsman city serve Whitney the of opening Art on small businesses within them clear seum of American means not government, helping It’s new buildings, to get Gansevoort Street c to the traffi through the bureaucracy rising rents, that are even more foot things done. forcing some gallerists area. is that Perhaps even more also The irony, of course, to reconsider their Whitney -importantly, the ombudsman the arrival of the and number neighborhood roots art meccas will tally the type small business one of the city’s the end for of complaints by taken in BY GABRIELLE ALFIERO -- could also spell dealers the actions art owners, long-time policy buildStephen some response, and somefor ways to When gallerists Griffin in the area, as their are sold or recommendations If done well, Haller and Cynthiatheir W. ings increasingly begin to fix things. report would Haller reopened follow- demolished. lease the ombudsman’s 26th Street gallery With their 10-year quantitative afrst fi the rebuild Stephen us give cut short, with ing a five-month flooded abruptly shared taste of what’s wrong ter Hurricane Sandy they and Cynthia, who the city, an the space, small businesses in towards building with their first floor phone their and Tony important first step were still without were Lehmann Maupin they the problem. needed to xing fi of galleries, and Internet. Still, where Shafrazi property by June To really make a difference, the happy in the location, will have to to stay for vacate (Shafrazi is suing course, the advocaterising rents, they expected of 2014. find a way to tackle business’ the Manhattes some time. doltold less the landlord, which remain many While Chin Instead, they were their Group, for $20 million reproblem. vexing that Post most the New York than a year later gauge what to demol- lars, said it’s too early tocould have landlord planned ported). another role the advocate on the ish the building. They shopped for planned for there, more information in the neighbor“We had shows bad thing. We had location to find problem can’t be a with the long periods of time.amount hood but struggled a twoThis step, combinedBorough more than just put in a huge the anything efforts by Manhattan to mediate of money to refurbish“We year lease on a street-level in Chelsaid. President Gale Brewer offer space,” Cynthia space. After 13 years Gallery the rent renewal process, were really shocked.”Gallery sea, Stephen Haller signs tangible and early, Haller some For Stephen small left the neighborhoodStux it, it isn’t riswith of progress. For many can’t come and others like joined forces oor are driving business owners, that in a new sixth-fl ing rents that far new devel- Gallery soon enough. on 57th Street, not Chelsea, Zach Feuer them away. It’s
NEWS
luxury building Robotic garage for board draws fire from community BY ZACH WILLIAMS
at a a robotic garage A proposal for in Chelsea has thrown luxury building into the city’s zoning access to parking debate. proposed for a A high-tech garage W. 28th St. has 520 development at Board 4, which is riled Community arguing that it plan, in opposing the more car usage would only invite while only providthe neighborhood, residents. ing parking to rich a special city perThe garage needs 29 spaces rather mit to accommodate allowed the than the 11 automatically opted to oppose by the city. CB4 1 full board meetpermit at its April Carl a draft letter to ing, stating in Planning City the of Weisbrod, chair city criteria for such Commission, that based on the parking foran exception is ago, when many for stock of a decade spaces were used demer industrial future of parking in anticipation velopment in Chelsea. 40 residential have The project will comsquare feet of alunits and 11,213 the ground floor, mercial space on three parking spaces The lowing eight and the developer, respectively. But wants more for Related Companies, is the New York acthe building, which internationally City debut for Zaha Hadid. (Adjaclaimed architect Line, the build cent to the High
CONTINUED ON PAGE
25
his gallery in After 15 years running to partner with Joel two gallery spaces, (left) leaves the neighborhood team will operate Mesler (right). TheMesler/Feuer, on the Lower East Feuer/Mesler and May 10. Slide, slated to open
Newscheck
2 3
is surging opment, which in part to in Chelsea, thanks High Line the opening of the
City Arts Top 5
12 13
space
CONTINUED ON PAGE
25
to see if there was a way to fix flood damage from 2012’s Superstorm Sandy without doing as much demolition and disrupting so many lives. Turns out, there was. “This was an outside-the-box, creative solution,” said Cuomo, a Democrat, at a news conference announcing the new plan. He was flanked by engineering experts from Columbia and Cornell universities who dreamed up the proposal. “You have to be willing to think outside the box or break the box.” While many were relieved by the announcement, some wondered whether the last-minute change had been fully thought through. The announcement came after years of planning for the upheaval expected to be caused by the tunnel’s closure, which was supposed to happen in April.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 7
We deliver! Get Chelsea Clinton News sent directly to your mailbox for $ per year. Go to ChelseaNewsNY.com $49 or call 212-868-0190