The local paper for Chelsea A DOCTOR WITH HEART < Q&A, P.19
WEEK OF APRIL
23-29 2015
CHELSEA’S ‘GRASS’ ROOTS CAMPAIGN NEWS Proposal for park on West 20th Street gaining momentum BY DANIEL FITZSIMMONS
A campaign to turn a vacant lot in Chelsea into green space gained traction recently when it was featured on Councilmember Corey Johnson’s participatory budgeting ballot. The proposal would provide $200,000 for the demolition of a Dept. of Sanitation-owned low rise on the lot, at 20th Street between 6th Avenue and 7th Avenue, and environmental cleanup at the site. The effort to create a park in one of the most open space-starved neighborhoods in Manhattan began some five years ago, when Matt Weiss started a family with his wife and learned there were no parks nearby where his child could play. “We had a son, and we very quickly realized there were wonderful green spaces for kids all the way east and all the way west, and we quickly learned there was nothing in the center of Chelsea that could accommodate a family like ours,” said Weiss. In 2010, Weiss started raising awareness about the need for a park in Chelsea. He and other organizers identified a former sanitation department lot on 20th Street that was ideal for the creation of green space. After digging into the history of the site and discussing their idea in the community, the organizers, who coalesced under the name “Friends of 20th Street Park,” found out from Community Board 4
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WELCOMING THE WHITNEY’S RETURN The museum’s new neighbors anticipate crowds, but mostly for the better BY GABRIELLE ALFIERO
After almost 50 years uptown, one of Greenwich Village’s famed museums is coming home. The Whitney Museum of American Art, which got its start a century ago when Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney founded her Whitney Studio Club in the neighborhood, will once again open downtown. “People have been very positive about it,” said Tobi Bergman, chairman of Community Board 2. “It started in the Village and it’ll be great to have it back. It will be great to have an art museum here.” The Whitney’s newest incarnation — a $422 million, Renzo Piano-designed building at Gansevoort and Washington streets — opens its doors May 1 and hosts a block party the following day. Its neighbors mostly seem ready to embrace the museum as their district’s cultural beacon. While the Whitney calls the bustling, predominantly commercial Meatpacking District home, the quiet, tree-lined Village blocks just south of Gansevoort Street retain a cozy atmosphere, where children ride scooters past charming brownstones and baby carriages line the sidewalk outside a nursery school on Horatio Street. On a recent afternoon, neighbor-
The Whitney Museum, seen from Gansevoort Street. Photograph by Karin Jobst, 2014. hood residents said they were generally looking forward to what the museum’s visitors would bring to what was one of the Village’s — and the city’s — quieter enclaves just a few years ago. Merav Harris, who lives a block south of the museum on Horatio Street, said the Whitney would
change the neighborhood’s texture for the better, even though she worried her rent would increase. “I think we need the arts,” said Harris, 29, about the commercial district. “It’s all about shopping.” Bergman, the community board
Our Take THE DANGERS OF SPRING After an interminable winter, there’s something glorious about the first warm day of spring. But the sunshine brings danger, too. Last weekend, as New Yorkers scrambled outside to enjoy the warmest day of the year, 20 people were shot in the city, one fatally, in more than a dozen incidents. In part, the surge in violence sticks to a familiar seasonal rhythm: as the weather warms up, and people head outside, crime rates rise, too. Criminals are no dummies; they don’t like the cold any more than the rest of us. But this year’s warm season brings with it some unusual omens. While the city protested the death of Eric Garner in Staten Island and police shootings around the country, a lot of risidual anger remains. Warmer weather, combined with the spark that could come from yet another shooting at any moment, could prove particularly dangerous. That, and myriad other reasons, makes it that much more important for Mayor Bill de Blasio to approve the 1,000 additional police officers that NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton has requested. The mayor -inexplicably, really, for the leader of America’s biggest city -- has held out, deeming the extra cops as unncessary. As he’s waffled, the homicide rate in the city has inched up, and weekends like our last one have rattled New Yorkers. de Blasio is a smart student of our civic history. He knows that no New York mayor -- ever -- has been effective without the support of the NYPD. He could get that by adding the 1,000 new officers now, for what could be a long, hot summer.
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SPRING ARTS PREVIEW
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WHO HAS ACCESS TO A PARKING SPACE IN CHELSEA? NEWS
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MANHATTAN'S APARTMENT BOOM, > PROPERTY, P.18
2015
In Brief
WHAT NEXT FOR CHELSEA GALLERIES? 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 of the City Planning Weisbrod, chair city criteria for such Commission, that based on the parking is exception foran ago, when many for stock of a decade spaces were used demer industrial of future 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
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MORE HELP FOR SMALL BUSINESS
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 up
have rezoning told us she’d like to would and the mid-2000s May 1 The and running this year, for of West Chelsea. Muserve as an ombudsman city opening of the Whitney 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 owners, the actions policy long-time art 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 rebuild afgive us the first quantitative cut short, Stephen with ing a five-month flooded abruptly shared taste of what’s wrong ter Hurricane Sandy they and Cynthia, who in the city, an the businesses space, with small oor fl rst building their fi towards phone their and Tony important first step were still without were Lehmann Maupin to they fixing the problem. of galleries, needed 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. tackle to find a way the Manhattes some time. business’ doltold less the landlord, which remain many While Chin Instead, they were their Group, for $20 million rethat most vexing problem. the New York Post 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 and some early, tangible small For Stephen Haller left the neighborhoodStux it, it isn’t riswith of progress. For many and others like joined forces oor owners, that can’t come are driving sixth-fl business that new a in rents ing Gallery soon enough. Zach Feuer them away. It’s new devel- space on 57th Street, not far his gallery in Chelsea, is surging After 15 years running opment, which to partner with Joel to ON PAGE 25 two gallery spaces, in Chelsea, thanks in part (left) leaves the neighborhood team will operate High Line CONTINUED Mesler (right). TheMesler/Feuer, on the Lower East the opening of the Feuer/Mesler and May 10. Slide, slated to open Newscheck
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