The local paper for Downtown wn ETERNAL BEAUTY FROM AN ENDURING CULTURE ◄ P.12
WEEK OF NOVEMBER
22-28 2018
Danny Pearlstein at a Fast Forward event in June 2018. Photo courtesy of Danny Pearlstein
A FIGHT TO ‘FIX THE SUBWAY’ COMMUTERS Danny Pearlstein of the Riders Alliance and other grassroots groups aim to improve the transit system BY MEREDITH KURZ
Here’s the good news: tourism is up, employment is up, and population is up. Here’s the bad news: the transportation system is sinking fast, there’s a fare hike proposal on the table and the MTA Chairman just resigned. Here’s the solution: New Yorkers when they get together can do something about it. While riders get angry for a moment and then get on with their day, many citizens have pulled together and are trying to help all New Yorkers, and our millions of tourists, to improve the city commute. Danny Pearlstein is the policy and communications director of the Riders Alliance, an organization, he explained, that “fights for bet-
ter transit by organizing subway and bus riders.” Pearlstein got recruited from the membership four years ago, and came on the staff last Thanksgiving. He grew up riding the subway and has a true passion for getting it right, for all New Yorkers. “When the transit doesn’t work, our city doesn’t work,” said Pearlstein. The Riders Alliance has not only increased their membership recently, but they’ve joined a coalition of disparate grassroots groups that have the “transit system to bind them together,” as Pearlstein puts it. The Riders Alliance is part of a coalition called “Fix the Subway,” with over 20 other organizations. Those groups include NYPIRG Straphangers, ALIGN NY, Chinese-American Planning Council, Citizen Action, Community Voices Heard, Environmental Advocates of New York, New York City Employment and Training Coalition, New York City Environmental Justice Alliance, New York Communities for Change, New York Immigration Coalition, New York
CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
“Developers have consistently pointed to our high-quality schools as a selling point, and they should not be selling the schools out,” Assembly Member Deborah Glick said. Photo: Michael Garofalo
TRIBECA RALLIES TO SAVE SCHOOL EDUCATION DOE plans call for P.S. 150 students to be relocated next year after lease ends at Independence Plaza BY MICHAEL GAROFALO
Chanting “save our school” and waving handmade signs, member of the P.S. 150 community rallied Nov. 13 to plead for the school to remain in its current location in Independence Plaza. Students, parents and elected officials gathered on the elementary school’s steps to call on the city and the school’s landlord to negotiate a
All we’ve heard so far is finger pointing — the city saying the developer is at fault, the developer saying the city is at fault. One thing we know is that neither the parents or the students ... are at fault. They should not be suffering.” State Senator Brian Kavanagh
CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
Downtowner
OurTownDowntown
O OTDOWNTOWN.COM @OTDowntown
Crime Watch Voices NYC Now City Arts
3 8 10 12
Restaurant Ratings Business Real Estate 15 Minutes
14 16 17 21
deal to extend P.S. 150’s expiring lease and keep the elementary school in the Greenwich Street apartment complex. The Department of Education notified the P.S. 150 community in October that the school would be relocated after the current school year, following the failure of the city and Independence Plaza ownership to reach an agreement to renew the school’s lease. Stellar Management and Vornado Realty Trust, which own Independence Plaza, plan to use the space now occupied by the school for new apartments and amenities for residents.
WEEK OF APRIL
SPRING ARTS PREVIEW < CITYARTS, P.12
FOR HIM, SETTLING SMALL CLAIMS IS A BIG DEAL presided over Arbitration Man has three decades. for informal hearings about it He’s now blogging BY RICHARD KHAVKINE
is the common Arbitration Man their jurist. least folks’ hero. Or at Man has For 30 years, Arbitration court office of the civil few sat in a satellite Centre St. every building at 111 New Yorkers’ weeks and absorbed dry cleaning, burned lost accountings of fender benders, lousy paint jobs, and the like. And security deposits then he’s decided. Arbitration Man, About a year ago, so to not afwho requested anonymity started docuhe fect future proceedings, two dozen of what menting about compelling cases considers his most blog. in an eponymous about it because “I decided to write the stories but in a I was interested about it not from wanted to write from view but rather lawyer’s point of said Arbitration view,” of a lay point lawyer since 1961. Man, a practicing what’s at issue He first writes about post, renders and then, in a separatehow he arrived his decision, detailing blog the to Visitors at his conclusion. their opinions. often weigh in with get a rap going. I to “I really want whether they unreally want to know and why I did it,” I did derstood what don’t know how to he said. “Most people ... I’d like my cases the judge thinks. and also my trereflect my personalitythe law.” for mendous respect 80, went into indiMan, Arbitration suc in 1985, settling vidual practice
9-16
MANHATTAN'S APARTMENT BOOM, > PROPERTY, P.20
2015
In Brief 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 have up told us she’d like to would and running this year, for serve as an ombudsman city small businesses within them clear government, helping to get through the bureaucracy things done. Perhaps even more also importantly, the ombudsman and number will tally the type small business of complaints by taken in owners, the actions policy response, and somefor ways to recommendations If done well, begin to fix things. report would the ombudsman’s give us the first quantitative with taste of what’s wrong the city, an small businesses in towards important first step fixing the problem. of for deTo really make a difference, is a mere formality will have to the work process looking to complete their advocate are the chances course, velopers precinct, but rising rents, -- thanks to a find a way to tackle business’ is being done legally of after-hours projects quickly. their own hours,” which remain many While Chin “They pick out boom in the number throughout who lives on most vexing problem. said Mildred Angelo,of the Ruppert construction permits gauge what Buildings one said it’s too early tocould have the 19th floor in The Department of the city. number three years, the Houses on 92nd Street between role the advocate She Over the past on the is handing out a record work perThird avenues. permits, there, more information of Second and an ongoing all-hours number of after-hours bad thing. of after-hours work the city’s Dept. problem can’t be a said there’s with the mits granted by nearby where according to new data jumped 30 percent, This step, combinedBorough construction project noise Buildings has data provided in workers constantly make efforts by Manhattan to mediate BY DANIEL FITZSIMMONS according to DOB of Informacement from trucks. President Gale Brewer offer response to a Freedom classifies transferring they want. They knows the the rent renewal process, request. The city They 6 “They do whatever signs Every New Yorker clang, tion Act go as they please. work between some early, tangible small any construction on the weekend, can come and sound: the metal-on-metal or the piercing of progress. For many have no respect.” p.m. and 7 a.m., can’t come of these that the hollow boom, issuance reverse. owners, in business moving The increased beeps of a truck has generto a correspond and you as after-hours. soon enough. variances has led at the alarm clock The surge in permits
SLEEPS, THANKS TO THE CITY THAT NEVER UCTION A BOOM IN LATE-NIGHT CONSTR NEWS
A glance it: it’s the middle can hardly believe yet construction of the night, and carries on full-tilt. your local police or You can call 311
n OurTownDowntow
COM
Newscheck Crime Watch Voices
for dollars in fees ated millions of and left some resithe city agency, that the application dents convinced
2 City Arts 3 Top 5 8 Real Estate 10 15 Minutes
12 13 14 18
CONTINUED ON PAGE
25
We deliver! Get Our Town Downtowner sent directly to your mailbox for $49 per year. Go to OTDowntown.com or call 212-868-0190