Chelsea Now - January 23, 2020

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Chelsea VOLUME 12, ISSUE 4

YO U R W E E K LY C O M M U N I T Y N E W S PA P E R S E R V I N G C H E L S E A , H U D S O N YA R D S & H E L L’S K I T C H E N

JAN. 23 - FEB. 5, 2020

Marking MLK Day in Village Page 15

SOHO? NOHO? NO-GO!

Communities pan upzone proposal Page 3

Stuytown remembers its ‘mayor’

PHOTO BY JOAQUIN COTLER

Terri Howell (right) and Carol Steen (left) brandishing anti-upzoning signs. Steen, a city cer tified ar tist living in NoHo, fears that rising proper t y taxes will force her out of the neighborhood she’s lived in for decades .

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SoHo/NoHo still on edge over rezone report

BY JOAQUIN COTLER included in the report, according to its introduction. ore than a hundred “The purpose of this endeavor people gathered at a was simple, even if the issues were Community Board 2 not: to conduct a genuine public Land Use Committee meeting outreach process to develop an last week to express their opinformed vision and recommendaposition to possible new develtions to guide the city’s future planopment in the SoHo and NoHo ning efforts in the SoHo and NoHo areas, which border Houston neighborhoods,” reads the report, Street to the north and south in which was released in November.

Manhattan.

Since then, officials are seeking a Community members at the response from the local community Jan. 15 meeting expressed conabout its recommendations. cerns that a new report – commisOne of the most contentious sioned by Borough President Gale items discussed at last Wednesday’s Brewer, Councilmember Margaret meeting, held Sheen Auditorium on Chin and the Department of City Bleecker Street, was a suggestion in Planning – would encourage too the report to “explore opportunities much development in the two for increased density” in order to neighborhoods. create more housing in the area.

Elected officials, however, While residents generally supdisputed that charge, claiming port the designation of more affordable housing, many people that they are looking to strike the fear that such an initiative could proper balance between addressing the need for new economic result in upzoning – the process of PHOTO BY JOAQUIN COTLER activity and protecting the neigh- Terri Howell (right) and Carol Steen (left) amending current zoning laws to borhoods’ historic character. brandishing anti-upzoning signs. Steen, a allow for the construction of resi“At the moment we don’t have city cer tified ar tist living in NoHo, fears that dential skyscrapers containing some specifics … Part of this process rising proper ty taxes will force her out of the affordable housing – and contribute of obtaining feedback is to under- neighborhood she’s lived in for decades . to a growing overcrowding problem. stand what the priorities are,” said “The current zoning has alTara Duvivier, the Manhattan Borough regard to specifics about any zoning lowed 20- and 30-story buildings to be Urban Planner for Community Boards 1, changes.” built in this neighborhood,” Andrew Six months of research and public in- Berman, the executive director of the 3 and 6. “I can’t give you exactly when we would come back with anything with put into land-use and zoning issues were Greenwich Village Society for Historic

M

Preservation, said at the meeting. “The substantial increase in density that the city would require with an upzoning would entirely obliterate the character of this neighborhood … If the city just drops their ridiculous requirement that you have to have a massive upzoning in order to require affordable housing, we can have a lot more of it.”

Some local business owners who don’t necessarily support upzoning still believe the committee should focus on reclassifying the area as a mixed-use district to better reflect the present neighborhood landscape.

Third-generation SoHo business owner Michael Salzhauer supports comprehensive rezoning of the neighborhood – including expanding the definition of who is eligible for live-work spaces in the area.

Currently, only city-certified artists are allowed to have live-work studio spaces.

“A successful rezoning of SoHo will include a methodology for legalizing residential units occupied by non-artists, recognizing that a significant portion of our residents now are not artists, and that the city has essentially stopped certifying artists,” Salzhauer said in a statement.

Despite his staunch opposition to upzoning, Berman says he supports potentially tweaking regulations, provided that it keeps the neighborhood’s soul intact.

The committee says they will continue to revisit these issues in the coming months.

MTA cites big progress on 14th Street Busway

BY MARK HALLUM

Drivers who violate the bus-only restriction on 14th Street will be subject he 14th Street Busway in to fines.

“We know [the busway is] working Manhattan has sped things up for commuters in a big because buses are faster and more cusway, according to the MTA. tomers come back to the bus system Data that the authority released where these improvements have been Monday suggests that more people implemented,” said Craig Cipriano, are riding the M14 Select Bus Service acting MTA Bus Company President. line since Oct. 3, when the city and “We are changing everything that MTA imposed made the roadway beNew Yorkers thought they knew about tween Third and Ninth Avenues open our buses, from new zero emission all-electric buses to more customer exclusively to buses. That dropped the commute time on the route substanamenities and better service.” tially, 36%, and the MTA says that The bus-mounted cameras were encouraged more people to use the installed in late November and began bus line. issuing warnings to drivers as part of a With ridership up by an average of 60-day grace period before fines were scheduled to go into effect.

19% on weekdays, and 25% during PHOTO BY MARK HALLUM morning peak hours, the M14 appears On the 14th Street busway, 110 to be a preference among commuters. The 14th Street busway during its launch on Oct. 3. drivers have been delivered warnings On top of that, the MTA is attributing camera enforcement of cars. twilight of the 60-day grace period for since the ABLE system was implemented much of this progress to bus-mounted The announcement came at the drivers ticketed by bus-mounted cameras. on Nov. 21.

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Exhibit in Chelsea Market takes inside look at Hotel Chelsea apartments

BY GABE HERMAN

people who live there.” new exhibit inside Chelsea The building’s past often remains present, such as the Market features works apartment of Sheila Berger from “Hotel Chelsea: Living in the Last Bohemian Haven,” and Michael Rips, where Miller a book featuring photos of the noted that actor Vincent Gallo legendary hotel and interviews formerly lived and wrote on with current residents. the door, “Vincent Gallo lives The Hotel Chelsea dates back here.” to the Gilded Age, and has seen “People leave marks on these its share of great artists of all apartments and they’re passed kinds stay there. Many current down from person to person, residents are also artists and work and it’s quite an incredible in creative fields, and photos place,” Miller said. in the project show apartments The book, which came out in decorated in maximalist styles, November, has gotten positive with bright colors and various responses, Miller said, includobjects and images of all kinds ing from the Hotel Chelsea resithroughout the spaces. dents. He said he was excited PHOTOS BY COLIN MILLER/COURTESY CHELSEA MARKET The exhibit at Chelsea Market An elaborately decorated apar tment in the Hotel Chelsea. for the exhibit.

“It’ll be very cool to see real includes photos of a handful of The photos are by Colin Miller, who residents, along with photos of got about two-thirds of residents in the prints of the work,” Miller said. their homes and quotes about their said the project began when he was end. Miller said the project gained mo- “I tried to organize the exhibit in a way apartments and their experience of liv- commissioned four years ago by an mentum over time. “Once we had a foot that would give people a sense of the ing in such an historic building. This, architectural firm to photograph units in the door, it became somewhat easier. stories behind them.” the exhibit notes, is despite recent in the building for renovations. While But it still took a long time,” he said.

He said an important part of the ownership changes, legal challenges there, he discovered some elaborately Miller said he found that the hotel project was capturing the hotel’s past. and development of the building into decorated apartments. “I saw there were impacts those who live there. “It’s pretty “I’m hoping this project preserves an upcoming luxury hotel. still interesting people doing things at amazing how ppl carve out these spaces something of what the Chelsea used to The Chelsea Market exhibit is in a the Chelsea,” said Miller. for themselves,” he said, “and their be and in some ways still is,” Miller said. space just across from Amy’s Bread in the Some residents were more willing homes become an extension of their “It has a dim future, in terms of how it food hall at Ninth Avenue and West 15th than others to participate in the project, personalities. And it’s especially true may be able to grow. These are the last Street, and it runs until February 29. but Miller, along with writer Ray Mock, of the Chelsea. There’s such interesting full-time residents.”

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NYPD officials pressed on subway homeless

BY MARK HALLUM

A

joint committee in the City Council examined NYPD’s homeless diversion program in the subways, which to advocates represents a policy that fines the city’s poorest.

The city Department of Social Services and NYPD had representation in chamber who were questioned by members of both the committees on General Welfare as well as Public Safety.

Policing of individuals sleeping in the subway system often follow policies in which they are fined if they refuse homeless services and often arrested for failure to comply with laws the prohibit riders from occupying more than one seat.

“People who choose the street over the shelter know what the shelter has to offer, and they choose the street,” Councilman Donovan Richards said. “I don’t blame you trying to help this situation. I will blame you if what you’re trying only serves to harass people.”

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NYPD Chief of Transit Edward Delatorre said he did not agree with aspects of police outreach that lands people in the criminal justice system, but that there are merits to the effort which sees some homeless individuals to finding the resources intended to help them get back on their feet, such as Bowery Residents’ Committee.

The civil summonses that are issued to homeless individuals in the Subway Diversion Program is the “lightest touch,” Delatorre told City Council members.

“We’re evolving here and we’re looking for more and more ways,” Deletorre said explaining that NYPD has created in roads with the courts to have warrants expunged so people can obtain services.

Delatorre told City Council outreach at the terminus of the E line has been better

individual, something homeless individuals themselves explained in rally prior to the hearing.

Richard Hobbs, who is homeless, said shelters are perilous.

Stabbings and muggings are common, but he often sleeps in Penn Station where being hassled by the police is at least tolerable.

Hobbs stated that while he has been mugged attempting to deposit $20 into an ATM, police in Penn Station will wake homeless individuals every two hours and ignore complaints of actual crimes if those reporting them look homeless.

PHOTO BY MARK HALLUM The rally hosted by Coalition for facilitated by using New York City Transit the Homeless pressured the de Blasio station space to offer coffee to homeless administration to end what Councilman people.

Stephen Levin called a “dumb policy” Molly Park, first deputy commissioner to took the only alternative to a shelter of DHS, said it often requires “hundreds” away from homeless individuals during of times for outreach to stick with one the colder months.

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Police Blotter Robbery on a taxi ride

Heist on Rivington A deli at 127 Rivington St. was robbed late at night on Sunday, Jan. 12, according to police.

At 11:35 p.m., a man entered the store and allegedly implied that he had a weapon, police said, and demanded

cash from the 46-year-old employee behind the register.

The thief, described as 20-30 years old, then went behind the counter and allegedly took about $1,000 in cash from the register, then fled east on Rivington Street. No injuries were reported.

—Gabe Herman

Held up at Times Square

Armed trio sought for robbing woman

BY EMILY DAVENPORT

C A taxi passenger was robbed by two men in the early morning hours of Jan. 12, police said.

Around 2:50 a.m., a 23-year-old male victim got into a taxi near Jane and Washington Streets, when two men also entered the cab and told the driver to begin driving, according to officials.

The two men then allegedly demanded the victim’s wallet while pressing an unknown hard object against the victim’s body, police said. The victim complied and the robbers fled the vehicle with the victim’s wallet.

They allegedly used the victim’s credit cards to purchase about $4,000 worth of items in the Soho area.

—Gabe Herman

Thousands in goods stolen in SoHo There was a burglary at the Jimmy Choo store at 111 Greene St., on Tuesday, Jan. 14, police said. A round 12:45 a.m., three men allegedly entered the store by breaking the front door glass with an unknown object. While inside, they took a large amount of handbags and wallets from the shelves, according to officials, with a total value around $36,000.

They fled the location in a black fourdoor sedan to parts unknown.

—Gabe Herman

ops are looking for a trio who robbed a woman at gunpoint in Harlem earlier this month.

According to police, at 11:30 p.m. on Jan. 5, a 24-year-old woman was sitting on a bench in the vicinity of West 128th Street and St. Nicholas Terrace when she was approached by three unknown men. One of the men pulled out a gun, held it to her ribs and demanded her property, while the other two stood watch.

The suspects took the victim’s cellphone and purse, which contained two credit cards, and then fled the scene on foot northbound on St. Nicholas Terrace.

On Jan. 20, the NYPD released video of the suspects as the incident took place: The first suspect is described as a black man between the ages of 24 and 25 years old, standing 6 feet, 2 inches tall and weighing between 210 and 220 pounds, and was last seen wearing a black knit cap, a brown coat with black shoulder patches and dark colored jeans. The other two suspects are described as black men in their 20s.

Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). Calls are kept confidential.

Five sought for East Village break-in

BY EMILY DAVENPORT

C

ops are looking for five crooks who robbed a man in a Manhattan apartment building earlier this month.

According to police, at 12:30 a.m. on Jan. 9, five individuals followed a 23-year-old man into a residential building located in the vicinity of 2nd Avenue and St. Marks Place in the East Village. After cornering the man on the second floor of the building, the crooks demanded his property, with one man lifting his shirt to show a gun in his waistband.

The victim complied and handed over his wallet, which contained multiple bank and credit cards. The suspects then fled the building in an unknown direction.

There were no injuries reported as a result of the incident. On Jan. 19, the NYPD released photos of three of the suspects.

Anyone with information in regard to the identity of the individuals is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).

All calls and messages are kept confidential.

A woman was robbed while standing on a 42nd Street subway platform on Jan. 11, police said.

At 7:10 p.m., a 25-year-old woman was standing on the uptown N-Q-R platform, when a man approached and allegedly snatched her Beats Solo headphones from her head and then fled.

The woman sustained a scratch and bruise to her forehead.

—Gabe Herman

Backpack thief busted with pot Inside the Tavern restaurant, at Hudson Yards, a male employee noticed an unknown man in possession of his backpack, according to police.

The incident occurred on Friday, Jan. 10, at 10 p.m. The employee then confronted the man and was able to take back his Northface backpack, valued at $200.

After police arrived and searched the man, he was found to be in alleged possession of small amounts of marijuana, officials said.

The would-be thief, 28, was arrested for petit larceny.

—Gabe Herman

Car smasher cuffed A man was arrested on Jan. 12 after breaking the windshield of a car, according to a police report.

Around 1:40 a.m., at Seventh Avenue and West 16th Street, a taxi driver was dropping off a customer when a man, 34, allegedly broke the windshield by cracking it with his right fist, causing over $250 worth of damage, and cursing out the driver, officials said.

The driver was not injured in the incident. The windshield breaker was arrested for criminal mischief.

—Gabe Herman

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De Blasio unveils a ‘cautious’ budget plan of over $95B

BY ALEJANDR A O’CONNELL-DOMENECH

I

t may be $3 billion higher than the current budget plan, but Mayor Bill de Blasio’s $95.3 billion preliminary city spending plan for 2020-21 takes a cautious tone, as the city worries about how Albany will tackle a projected $6 billion budget deficit.

While outlining his projected budget on Jan. 16, de Blasio said there has been less fiscal growth for the city this year due to the $1.6 billion spent on labor settlements and investments, $270 million in debt services, $256 million in education mandates like special education and charter school costs along with $175 million in criminal justice mandates including bail reform.

In a statement about the 2020 budget growth rate, officials said that the city’s preliminary budget reflects an increase in tax revenues with an expected growth rate of 4.6 percent. Officials predict a much smaller growth rate — 2 percent — for 2021 revenue, reflecting slowing local and national economies.

The announcement comes three weeks earlier than when the Mayor presented the city’s preliminary budget last year and five days before Governor Andrew Cuomo is scheduled to give

details on his own financial plan for the state. During his Jan. 8 State of the State address, Cuomo proposed making localities cough up more money for Medicaid, which makes up $4 billion worth of the deficit.

“The situation is very straightforward and our focus is in one place and it’s Albany, New York,” said the Mayor, who added that the “worrisome” deficit was the largest he had every seen in the state during his tenure. If Cuomo were to call for cuts to Medicaid, it would roll back years of progress to the city’s NYC Health + Hospitals system, De Blasio said, which was close to bankruptcy when he took office six years ago.

A spokeswoman for the Cuomo, Dani Lever, was quick to push back against De Blasio’s assumptions about Cuomo’s upcoming preliminary state budget, stating that “we have heard of smoke and mirrors and political straw men, but how the mayor can claim he is reacting to cuts from the State before the State has even proposed a budget is spreading the political cream cheese too thick even for a toasted bagel.”

The bagel and cream cheese reference was used as a jab to Mayor de Blasio’s tweet on National Bagel Day (Jan. 15)

stating his preferred bagel was whole wheat, toasted with extra cream cheese.

The mayor deleted the post and retweeted his bagel order, but without the word toasted, as bagel aficionados mocked him for what many consider to be a sin against the New York breakfast staple.

The second financial challenge for the city’s budget is the the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, De Blasio said.

Demands for $3 million in capital funding and $100 million for Access-A-Ride, a paratransit service for New Yorkers with disabilities or mobility issues, would be denied until a proper audit of the agency’s culture and operations was done. State

Comptroller Tom DiNapoli released an MTA audit roughly six months ago calling for greater oversight of the agency’s contracts.

“We are not going to keep handing over money unless the money is going to be used well,” said de Blasio. A proper audit of the MTA’s culture and operations would need to be done before the mayor could agree to “fork over” money to agency, whose board members are nominated by the governor.

The mayor did note that he would he would be willing to spend on things like $147 million in wages and benefits for uniform workers, $33 million to aid resiliency efforts at Rockaway Beach and Vision Zero, specifically $98 billion for 4th avenue in Brooklyn to make the thoroughfare safer for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers. The city as also set aside roughly $6 billion in reserves.

“The budget presented today holds the line on new spending programs, which is a welcome and positive change, said the Citizens Budget Commission President Andrew Rein. “However, it misses the opportunity to further improve the City’s preparedness for looming risks— including potential cuts in State aid or weaknesses in the economy.”

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‘Mayor of Stuy Town,’ Butch Purcell, dies at 74

PHOTOS : FACEBOOK/STUYTOWN

Purcell with the plaque at the Stuy vesant Town playground named in his honor.

BY GABE HERMAN

J

ohn “Butch” Purcell, a basketball coach and beloved member of the Stuyvesant Town community, died on Jan. 12 at age 74.

Purcell was affectionately known as the ‘Mayor of Stuy Town,’ and moved into the Stuyvesant Town-Peter Cooper Village community with his wife Mary in the 1960s after the complex was desegregated. He made the basketball courts there a second home of sorts, coaching, mentoring, and making friends throughout the community.

Purcell coached at Harlem’s legendary Rucker Park Tournament during the last 25 years, winning two championships there. Over the years, he also coached an estimated 75 players who went on to play in the NBA and ABA, most notably Julius “Dr. J” Irving.

On Sept. 25, 2019, Playground 9 in Stuyvesant Town was named in Purcell’s honor. The ceremony drew hundreds of people, and speakers included local officials and friends from the basketball world, including Earl “The Pearl” Monroe. Monroe joked with Purcell about their days playing college basketball in North Carolina,

Purcell at North Carolina Central University and Monroe at Winston-Salem State.

Purcell earned degrees from North Carolina Central University and Long Island University, and worked for decades as a substance abuse counselor at Beth Israel Hospital.

“I’m deeply saddened by the loss of Butch Purcell, a New York City legend who spent his life working on behalf of his community,” said State Senator Brad Hoylman in a statement to this paper. At the playground dedication ceremony in September, Hoylman presented Purcell with a plaque declaring that day ‘Butch Purcell Appreciation Day.’ “His life touched so many of his fellow New Yorkers,” Hoylman added, “whether it was through his work as a substance abuse prevention advocate or the athletes he coached on the basketball court.

“After his years of service and dedication, it’s no surprise he earned the well-deserved nickname ‘The Mayor of Stuy Town.’ It was an honor to join Butch and the Stuy Town community last fall to dedicate a community playground in his honor — what a fitting tribute to a man who loved his community and his city so deeply.

They really don’t make them like Butch anymore. I will miss him greatly.”

“He was a guy who was always so full of life,” Monroe told the NY Post after Purcell’s death. “He knew everybody. If he knew you had a problem and needed someone to talk to, he was that guy.”

Purcell is survived by his wife Mary and son John IV.

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11

Editorial City and subways can’t catch a break Twice in six days, Manhattan saw two massive water main breaks that not only impacted nearby apartments and businesses, but also the lifeblood of the city — our subway system.

The Jan. 13 burst near Columbus Circle, occurring at the height of the Monday morning commute, left much of the area without the 1, 2 and 3 subway lines for most of the day as MTA crews scrambled to pump out the water that poured into the tunnels. Amazingly, they got the job done just in time for the afternoon rush.

In many ways, the MTA and city were fortunate that the second break occurred on a sleepy, post-snowstorm Sunday morning near Central Park West and 102nd Street. That ruptured pipe forced water into the underground tunnel where the A, C and E trains run.

Yet again, the MTA hustled to get the trains running by the afternoon. However, the authority stated its frustration with the city over the latest water main break, claiming that Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) workers only shut the faulty pipe down an hour after the failure happened.

“We hope this latest incident will spur quicker shut-off response times by the city and a review of its aging system in hopes of avoiding similar situations moving forward,” said MTA New York City Transit Vice President Sally Librera on Sunday.

It’s rare that the MTA is the one voicing outrage; usually, the authority is the one to hear it from commuters and the city. But the MTA’s gripe with the city is warranted.

When we asked for comment from the DEP about the MTA’s statement, an agency spokesperson responded with boiler-plate statistics about the frequency of water main failures in the city, and how much the city is investing toward upgrading the underground infrastructure.

That information is appreciated, but it doesn’t directly address why crews took an hour to stop water from pouring out of the busted main Sunday — or what’s being done to, at the very least, shore up or replace aging water lines near the subways.

We’re told by the DEP that it invests $400 million a year to build about 52 miles of new mains a year. It’s not nearly enough.

Can’t the city, out of a projected annual budget approaching $100 billion, find the cash to at least double that effort and keep both the water and the trains running?

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Januar y 23, 2020

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he Jan. 7, 1960 issue of The Villager included a photo of Eleanor Roosevelt and Dr. Edwin S. Burdell, president of The Cooper Union. The caption said that Burdell was escorting “Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt” through an exhibition of photographs of the Lower East Side, which was on view in the Cooper Union Museum at Fourth Avenue and 7th Street. The exhibition was sponsored by the Lower East Side Neighborhood Association and included 200 photographs by 50 photographers.

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Op-Ed

Digging inside report of Cutting costs ‘Affordable’ SoHo-NoHo without cutting

BY ANDREW BERMAN

down Medicaid

A

BY DAVID WOODLOCK

recent report issued on behalf of the NYC Department of City Planning, the Manhattan Borough President, and City Councilmember Margaret Chin called for seeking opportunities to create affordable housing in SoHo and NoHo, and to increase density to do so.

That suggestion has recently been amplified by a small but vocal group of activists who’ve made this their No. 1 priority as zoning changes are being considered for these lower Manhattan neighborhoods.

This may sound benign enough; there’s no denying New York City in general and these increasingly pricey neighborhoods in particular need affordable housing, and one could easily be forgiven for thinking that “increased density” means nothing more than allowing smaller buildings to be replaced by larger ones for this purpose.

In fact, what is actually being called for is something far less innocuous, that would result in much more super-luxury than affordable housing being added, and in grossly out-of-scale development of the sort currently prohibited in these neighborhoods.

And no one would benefit so much from these proposed changes as the real estate developers who would earn a tremendous windfall from these changes.

The de Blasio administration has adopted a policy whereby in order to get new affordable housing mandated in a neighborhood, communities must accept a massive ‘upzoning,’ meaning a change in rules to allow much larger development than what is currently allowed.

Every New York City neighborhood has limits on the size of new development defined by local zoning; no matter the limits, though, those rules allow substantial new construction to take place in every neighborhood in New York City. But in order to get affordable housing as a required part of the mix, the de Blasio administration insists that existing zoning rules be changed for that neighborhood to allow a doubling or tripling of the allowable size of new development.

Only in those cases will they impose requirements that 25-30% of new housing fit certain criteria for affordability.

But here’s the catch — the upzoning that’s attached means that getting that small amount of affordable housing also means getting 70-175% more market rate housing than would otherwise be built along with it, which in neighborhoods like SoHo and NoHo (and many others in New York City) means super-luxury housing. And it also means that new buildings will be 2-3 times the size of those which have been going up in the area.

This way, the real estate developers who will build the housing (and who by no coincidence are also the largest contributors to Mayor de Blasio’s campaigns) Schneps SchnepsMedia Media

T The historic buildings of SoHo.

will actually make much more money than they would otherwise on their properties, which is why they have been largely supportive of this policy.

To use some real life examples, new construction in SoHo includes 10 Sullivan Street (204 feet tall), The James Hotel (258 feet tall), and The Mondrian SoHo (311 feet tall) — all built under the existing size limits for construction in the neighborhood. Upzoning advocates are calling for allowing new construction two and half times as large as what’s currently allowed.

Such changes are a real possibility, given the confluence of real estate interests, city government officials, and upzoning advocates using the false premise of affordable housing as justification for seeking this dramatic policy shift. If implemented, it would result in a radical change in the character of these historic neighborhoods — not only in terms of oversized development, but introducing a flood of new luxury housing under the guise of creating new affordable housing.

This is why communities across the city — from Bushwick to Inwood to Sunset Park — are resisting these upzoning proposals.

This approach is absolutely unnecessary. Even the city’s existing policy would allow requirements for the inclusion of affordable housing when non-residential buildings are converted to housing, which is the source of by far the majority of SoHo and NoHo’s housing.

And the city can and should end its practice of making massive upzonings a requirement for affordable housing.

If not, we’ll continue to be presented with this false choice between maintaining neighborhood character and building new affordable housing, and continue to bear the burden of the false linkage between new affordable housing and vastly increased and comparatively much larger amounts of new super-luxury housing as the price to pay for it.

Andrew Berman is the executive director of Village Preservation, the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation.

hanks to runaway costs, New York State’s Medicaid program – and the millions of vulnerable patients it serves – faces a $4 billion shortfall and across-the-board cuts to help balance the state’s budget.

But instead of reducing care for Medicaid patients, we should invest in a whole person approach that brings physical, behavioral and other kinds of services under one roof so people with the most complex challenges can truly get better.

At the East New York Health Hub, run by ICL and Community Healthcare Network, we bring doctors, psychiatrists, substance misuse counselors and social workers to one place. The most vulnerable – and costly – clients there are getting better, and we’re saving the state money by reducing costly interventions such as hospitalizations.

Oscar, a 60-year-old man who suffers from schizophrenia, type II diabetes, hypertension, obesity and worsening vision problem, is one example. Before coming to the Hub,Oscar hadn’t seen a primary care doctor in years, his diabetes was out of control, and he simply wasn’t taking care of himself.

But after engaging with a mobile treatment team, Oscar’s glucose readings dropped by half, he began taking medication regularly and decreased his sugar intake – all signs that point to improved health and less costly care down the road.

At ICL, we’ve applied this whole person approach across 100 programs serving more than 10,000 New Yorkers, and it works: In 2018, we reduced client emergency room visits by 57 percent and hospitalizations due to mental illness by 62 percent.

At the Hub, we have on-site services and multidisciplinary teams that travel to meet patients where they are – homes, jobs, parks, cafes, shelters, literally anywhere and more – to ensure people get the care they need.

Our clients see their behavioral health counselor frequently. This allows our staff to build trust with individuals, who then are more likely to keep doctor’s appointments and change health behaviors.

Our staff escort patients to appointments and often when they stay for the duration of their visits to offer support and reassurance. And when patients can’t get to the Hub, we bring nurses with us to home visits. Access to care is an empty promise without measures like these.

The lesson for policymakers is clear: Forget cuts that would allow problems to worsen and costs to grow, and invest in whole person care that improves outcomes and reduces costs.

David Woodlock is CEO of the Institute for Community Living.

Januar Januaryy 23, 23, 2020 2020

13 13

City sponsors school trips to Jewish Museum

BY ALEJANDR A O’CONNELL-DOMENECH

T

he Department of Education will organize more field trips to the Museum of Jewish Heritage for 8th and 10th grade students in Crown Heights, Williamsburg and Borough Park  to combat anti-Semitism, Schools Chancellor announced on Jan. 15. “As a former social studies teacher, I know how important it is for students to learn about the past in order to understand the world around them,� said Carranza in a statement. Since Dec. 23, 2019, there have been at least 28 antiSemitic incidents in the city, according to numbers from the Anti-Defamation League. Data from NYPD shows that from 2018 to 2019 there was nearly a 20 percent increase in the number of anti-Semitic attacks. The museum visits are the second prong in the DOE’s efforts to combat the uptick in attacks after announcing on Jan. 2. that they would equip New York City public school teachers with a new curriculum on the Holocaust. DOE will foot the bill for the middle

The Museum of Jewish Heritage on the tip of Lower Manhattan.

school and high school ďŹ eld trips while the museum will provide every public school student over the age of 12 with a fee ticket to the museum along with three free tickets for family members.

The museum and DOE will continue to work together to provide professional development for teachers to help them learn how to better deepen students

understanding of primary resources related to the Holocaust. Today’s inaugural tour, from 8th grade students from P.S. 84 in Williamsburg, takes place about a week after Governor Andrew Cuomo in his State of the State address directed the Battery Park City Authority to expand the museum to address the “disturbing

number of anti-Semitic and other discriminatory attacks in New York.�  “The lessons of The Holocaust must never be forgotten, said Carranza. �

We’re committed to helping students and school communities engage in thoughtful and respectful dialogue, and the Museum of Jewish Heritage is instrumental in achieving that goal.�

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Januar y 23, 2020

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East Village campaign to save SNAP benefits

BY GABE HERMAN

C

ommunity groups and volunteers gathered in Manhattan’s East Village on Monday to mark Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a Community Resource Fair and to inform people about upcoming work requirement changes to the SNAP food assistance program that may affect peoples’ eligibility.

The free event, at 611 East 13th St., was sponsored by Hunger Free America, a nationwide hunger advocacy and food service group.

Dozens of volunteers arrived in the morning before heading out to canvass in the neighborhood, including at local NYCHA buildings, to spread the word about changes by the Trump Administration to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which are set to go into effect on April 1.

The new United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) rules eliminate exemptions or waivers for able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWD), who have a three-month limit of SNAP benefits if they are unemployed. Until now, states had the ability to make exemptions based on factors in the local economy and labor markets.

State Attorney General Letitia James co-filed a lawsuit on Jan. 16 along with the Washington, D.C. Attorney General, and joined by 13 other AG’s, to stop the

PHOTO BY GABE HERMAN

Joel Berg, CEO of Hunger Free America, speaking to volunteers at the Monday event.

rule. The new rules would prevent about 700,000 Americans from getting SNAP benefits, including over 50,000 people in New York City, according to James.

Over 1.5 million NYC residents rely on SNAP, according to Hunger Free America, and hundreds of thousands more are eligible for the benefits but don’t receive them.

“We’re all together here in the spirit of service in Dr. King’s name,” said Joel Berg, CEO of Hunger Free America, to the dozens of volunteers before they left to canvass the East Village.

Berg spoke of poverty being a big problem in America. “We’re the only industrialized nation on the planet that has this level of poverty and hunger,” he said.

He said an instructive quote from Dr. King for the occasion was, “What does it profit a man to be able to eat at an integrated lunch counter if he doesn’t have enough money to buy a hamburger?”

Over a million people in the city are struggling to afford food, Berg said, and cited the high rate of homelessness in the city, which goes beyond those in the

streets to roughly 60,000 people staying in shelters. This is despite billionaires living in the city and the high stock market, he said.

“Dr. King would not have settled for what we are doing today,” Berg said.

Tables at the Resource Fair included Harlem Empowerment Project, offering services like career counseling, English classes and help obtaining a high school diploma.

At another table, Center For Independence of the Disabled, New York (CIDNY) recruited people to become a Long Term Care Ombudsman, which only has about half of its needed positions filled in the city.

Others at the fair included the NYC Commission on Human Rights and ImmSchools, an immigrant-led nonprofit that supports undocumented K-12 students and their families.

After speaking to the group of volunteers, Berg said that the goal was to prepare people for the possible upcoming changes to SNAP. This is the second year of the Resources Fair, and the 18th year of Hunger Free America’s MLK Serve-a-Thon.

“The LES has been gentrified a lot, but there still a lot of people in lower income housing that haven’t been kicked out yet,” said Berg. “There’s still a lot of people living here who are struggling.”

United Church of Christ celebrates MLK Day

BY TEQUIL A MINSK Y

T

he Met ropol it a n A sso ciation of the United Church of Christ (UCC) presented “The Creation of a Dream: A Service for Mar tin Luther K ing Day,” w ith guest speaker Rev. Shernell J. Edna

Stilley. T he N Y Metropolitan Association of the UCC Social Justice

Committee helped plan the service.

T he N Y Metropolitan Association

of UCC choir was integ ral in the service.

PHOTOS BY TEQUILA MINSKY

Rev. Shernell J. Edney Stilley (right) wraps up the MLK Day service at Judson in song. She also interpreted for our time a reflection entitled: The Creation of a Dream.

Schneps Media

The MLK Day ser vice at Judson Memorial Church with The Metropolitan A ssociation Choir of UCC, with maestro Elmer L . Hammond Jr. on piano.

Januar y 23, 2020

15

Wintry weather couldn’t stop Women’s March

BY MILO HESS

C

old and snowy conditions on Saturday afternoon didn’t stop thousands from participating in the city’s fourth annual Women’s March.

Marchers started on Central Park West near Columbus Circle and made their way down to 43rd Street and Sixth Avenue, passing Trump International Hotel and Tower along the way.

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Januar y 23, 2020

Schneps Media

Judson campaign to bring back Haitian immigrant

BY TEQUIL A MINSK Y

“I

t’s been two years, two years, since he’s been gone,” a deeply saddened Reverend Donna Schaper, Senior Minister at Judson Memorial Church in the Village, said at the launching of the campaign to Bring Jean Home, last Thursday.

The day marked the anniversary since Jean Montrevil was picked up at his home in Queens and expediently deported to Haiti. Sharing the gravity of the times, family, friends, supporters, immigrant rights activists and press filled Judson’s main sanctuary.

Two years ago, Montrevil, a father with a viable transportation business, was wrenched away from his four American-born children, two who are school-age.

Jean Montrevil is the face of rehabilitation and activism and also the recipient of ICE’s retribution: ICE’s targeting of those who speak out. This Haitianborn immigrant began to speak against ICE in 2005, after ICE detained him for deportation based on a 1980s criminal conviction that he had received as a young man and years after he paid his debt to society.

He and his wife joined the immigrant rights organization Families For Freedom in 2005, led by families facing deportation, and two years later with Ravi Ragbir, he co-founded the New Sanctuary Coalition of NYC, partnering with Judson Memorial Church.

Rev. Schaper underscored what a difficult decision it was for him to become the public face of the sanctuary movement, knowing its tremendous risk.

The NYU Immigrant Rights Clinic, the Judson Immigration Task Force and Jean’s family have begun to work together to explore legal options to bring Jean Montrevil home.

Montrevil petitioned a federal lawsuit to reverse his unlawful deportation.

Filed on his behalf by the NYU Clinic lawyers (in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District —Brooklyn), the lawsuit argues that Montrevil’s deportation should be reversed because ICE targeted him in retaliation for his activism in violation of the First Amendment.

When Jean Montrevil was whisked away on January 3, 2018, first to Krone Detention Facility in Miami and then to Haiti on January 16, his children were traumatized. Through this heart wrenching episode in their lives, Montrevil maintains his family ties, regularly talking by computer and texting, particularly with his two school age children, now 12 and 16, who along with their mother continue to fight for his return.

At the campaign kick-off, Montrevil’s son Jahsiah read a statement from his father: We are not going to give up!

Montrevil supporters are looking to-

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ward a parallel action to the legal proceedings so Montrevil can return home during these legal actions.

Wearing a tee-shirt emblazoned with “1804”— the year of the Haitian revolution, Albert Saint Jean with Black Alliance for Just Immigration spoke, “We demand the governor pardon Jean.”

PHOTOS BY TEQUILA MINSKY

Jani Cauthen, Jean’s ex-wife, with their children, Jamya, 12, and Jahsiah, 16.

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Januar y 23, 2020

17

Never Records project more than an art show

BY BOB KR ASNER he Brooklyn Academy of Music has a new exhibition space, the Rudin Family Gallery, which is now showing Ted Riederer’s project “Never Records.” But when you enter Never Records, you are walking into something more than just an art show – you are in a performance space, recording studio, meeting place, art installation and a setting for the creation, transformation and L-R Aaron Morrell, Mackenzie Morell recording an original preservation of ideas. tune by Aaron.

Thanks to the early support of Arturo Vega, Marianne Boesky, the entire archive of – sometimes with drawings – who have the project, almost 600 varied greatly around the world.

Metro Pictures and others, Never Records has been an ongoing records in unique covers In Jordan, oddly enough, he recorded project since 2010. Originally an that were cre- a Japanese opera singer, but the high ated in Kansas point there was when a group of Sudan exhibit sponsored by No Longer City, Liverpool, refugees from the Fur tribe showed up Empty in the abandoned Tower Derry, London, “dressed to the nines, but very shy and Records space downtown, it New Orleans, cautious.” Ted recalled that “the session works like this: Riederer finds a space, transforms it to his Lisbon, Victoria, began very formally, but as the music took PHOTOS BY BOB KRASNER liking and then welcomes local Texas and Am- over they let their guard down.” When he Ted Riederer with his numartists to come in and make a ber one fan, 18 month old man, Jordan. In- played their recording back, everyone, inrecording. stead of resting cluding Riederer, was dancing in the shop. son Theo after speaking at The performers – who range the opening par ty. in simple record “It was one of those crystalline mofrom jazz bands to poets to tap bins, Riederer ments where I knew there was nothing has fabricated I’d rather be doing and nowhere else I’d dancers to scientists to country sing- two get made – one ers – record their work with Riederer album goes home with holders specially rather be,” said Riederer. supervising the proceedings. Visitors the artist, the other for this location An even more worldly performance are welcome to observe any parts of the stays in the Never that look like came at the request of a man in Kansas Records archive. A activities (quietly, of course).

City whose father had passed away. His coffins.

The artists then sit back and customize digital sound file also Ted Riederer, happy guy.

“That’s about siblings were scattered around the world, the two album covers that will house the goes home with the the resurrection so Ted made calls to Sardinia, Switzervinyl LP’s while they wait for Riederer to artists and “they can do what they want of vinyl as a media, but more about the land and Mexico so that he could record mix the sound and then cut the LP’s with with it, sell it, whatever.” transcendence of art and music,” he each of them singing the lullaby that their a special lathe bought in Germany. Only The setting at the BAM gallery contains explained. father used to sing to them. The recordIn addition, an entire wall is covered ings were then blended together to form with album covers that have been painted a “gorgeous global lullaby.” over, leaving a word or a phrase uncovCloser to home, there have already ered on each one. When read from one been a variety of performers recorded end to the other, they reveal a poem writ- at BAM. Performance artist Jorge Clar ten by Riederer. re-enacted his piece “Dishwashing MediAnother work on view is “The Cosmos tation,” where he explains how he uses his Record,” a turntable covered with crystals time at the sink in a positive way. (“the visualization of sound,” says Ted) “Participating in Ted’s ‘Never Records’ that is constantly spinning under a cam- project was a dream come true,” Clar era which projects the work onto a screen said. “It became a ritual within a ritual. on the opposite end of the room, where As a collector of vinyl records and fan the performers record, creating a kind of of analog recording, the process was visual loop in the space. wonderful for me. And what an honor to Near the stage is where Riederer mans be a part of Ted’s show!” the laptop for mixing and the lathe that For more information about the exhibcuts the records, which are created on it, visit www.bam.org/visual-art/2020/ PHOTOS BY BOB KRASNER clear PVC plastic. He carefully explains never-records.

Ted Riederer at the Rudin Family Galler y at the Brooklyn Academy of Read more at amny.com. the process to participants and observers Music, the current location of his project Never Records.

T

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Januar y 23, 2020

Schneps Media

Downtown bar offers a real ‘Resolution Breaker’

BY ALEX MITCHELL

N

o New Year’s resolution is safe from this concoction.

Clinton Hall now has a whopping burger, smushed between two grilled cheese sandwiches with crispy pickles and even more that’s appropriately called “The Resolution Breaker.”

Though, it’s not just any cheese on that burger — Clinton Hall partnered with the famed Murray’s Cheese, which will also be offering the burger at its bar.

The cheese grilled up on this titan of a burger is a grandiose blend of Murray’s mac & cheese mix, with gouda, and fontina stirred in as well.

So naturally, the Resolution Breaker debuted on Monday, Jan. 20, which is not only Martin Luther King Jr. Day but also National Cheese Lovers Day. The Resolution Breaker was created

by Clinton Hall’s executive chef, Darryl

The Resolution Breaker.

Harmon — a man who’s no stranger to a ‘go big or go home’ approach when it comes to food.

“In the past we’ve experimented with donut grilled cheeses and so much more

and this was something we wanted to do and have fun with for national cheese lovers day,” Harmon explained at his downtown workstation.

So, what does the Resolution Breaker taste like?

Putting it simply, that burger is all the best parts of a diner-like meal put in to one.

Harmon’s special seasoning on the burger, along with the pickles give the burger some texture contrast from the plethora of gooey cheese to give the Resolution Breaker quite the savory crunch.

After smashing down the two grilled cheeses, sinking your teeth into this one is a true ‘love at first bite’ sensation.

If you manage to reach one of the burger’s ends, there is no dry, little bit of bun left as many burgers tend to be guilty of. Oh no, you just bite into a grilled cheese if that is to happen.

“I don’t even know how many calories

is in that thing,” Harmon said.

This Clinton Hall and Murray’s Cheese collaboration will stay on menus until Valentines Day, so while you have some time to try it, the clock is ticking on the Resolution Breaker’s existence.

Here’s some advice on what to do after scarfing one of these down: walk home instead of taking the train, run a 5K the next day, compete in a triathlon, etc. You might burn half of the calories off that way.

It’s hard not to be cheesy with a subject matter such as this, but some readers that don’t stomach dairy might be intolerant of those jokes.

Clinton Hall, 90 Washington St., Lower Manhattan. 212-363-6000.

Open 7 days a week, Monday - Wednesday, 11:30 a.m.-midnight; Thursday - Saturday, 11:30 a.m.-2 a.m. clintonhallny.com.

Ring in the Lunar New Year at these great events

BY EMILY DAVENPORT

L

unar New Year is right around the corner. To celebrate the year of the rat, which is said to be associated with wealth, cleverness and likability, several places throughout the city will be holding events to ring in the new year.

Here are a few ways that you can celebrate the Lunar New Year throughout Manhattan:

21st New Year Firecracker Ceremony and Cultural Festival Grand Street in Sarah D. Roosevelt Park, Manhattan 11 to 3 p.m. on Jan. 25 Kick off the Lunar New Year with a literal bang by enjoying a dazzling display of firecrackers. The event will also have food and craft vendors as well as giveaways.

Greater Flushing Chamber of Commerce Lunar New Year Parade

Shadow Theater Workshops: The Art of Chinese New Year China Institute in America, 40 Rector Street 2 to 3:30 p.m. on Jan. 26 Learn the art of shadow puppetry while exploring China’s history, folklore and more at this event in Manhattan. Chinese Theatre Works artists will introduce participants to shadow puppetry and lead them in designing and building their own Schneps Media

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CHELSEA MARKET

shadow figures. This workshop is available to all ages and skill levels from ages 6 and up. Tickets start at $10.

Pearl River Mart at Chelsea Market 75 9th Avenue 3 to 6 p.m. on Jan. 26 Chelsea Market’s Pearl River Mart is pulling out all the stops for this year’s Lunar New Year. Stop by and enjoy ribbon dances, book signings, dumpling tastings and so much more! Entrance is free.

New York Philharmonic’s Lunar New Year Concert David Geffen Hall, 10 Lincoln Center Plaza

7:30 p.m. on Jan. 28 The New York Philharmonic is putting on a special concert to ring in the Lunar New Year. Concert-goers can enjoy Zhou

Tian’s “Gift” and the New York Premiere of Texu Kim’s ping pong–inspired “SpinFlip.” Tickets start at $45.

212 - 254 - 1109 | www.theaterforthenewcity.net | 155 First Ave. NY, NY 10003

Potters Wheel by Gina Russell Tracy January 2 - January 26, Tix $12 Thur - Sat 8PM, Sun 3PM

Thunderbird American Indian Dancers Pow Wow and Dance Concert January 24 - February 2, Tix $18 Fri & Sat 8PM, Sat & Sun 3PM

Brocade by Robert E. DiNardo January 30 - February 16, Tix $18 Thur - Sat 8PM, Sun 3PM Januar y 23, 2020

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NOW OPEN AT HELLO PANDA FESTIVAL theworldsfare.nyc @theworldsfare

Four Four South Village Brings Old-School Taiwanese Flavor to Flushing

BY JOE DISTEFANO

As the Culinary King of Queens, I’m so very fortunate to live in the most diverse and delicious destination in all of New York City. Really I’m not royalty though, I’m an ambassador, and a hungry one at that. Today, a trip to Taiwan via downtown Flushing to savor old school Taiwanese beef noodle soup at Four Four South Village.

Years ago, the stretch of Prince Street in downtown Flushing two blocks south of Northern Boulevard was home to a pretty good Taiwanese beef noodle spot called Happy Beef Noodle House. And then for a decade more, the block — which has housed everything from a Cantonese restaurant to the storied Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao — was bereft of the comfort food many consider to be the national dish of Taiwan.

Tai bei nou rou mian, a bowl brimming with noodles and beef stew often scented with star anise, was said to have been invented in the juan cun, or Chinese military dependent villages of Taiwan. Four Four South Village Taipei Beef Noodles, which opened in October, takes its name from just such a settlement.

One of the first things I noticed about Four Four South Village, apart from the retro decor featuring vintage Weixing radios and a soundtrack of chestnuts like Teresa Teng’s “Wo Yi Jian Ni Jiu Xiao� was how springy the noodles were. They maintained a nice slightly al dente texture throughout an entire slurping session.

Take your seat at Four Four South and the server will bring over a cup of tea, a dry erase marker, and a menu with check boxes. A roster of 10 varieties of beef noodles soup — including basic braised beef noodles soup ($11.95) and spicy beef noodles soup ($12.95) — headlines the menu.

On both of my visits I checked box 113: braised beef, tendon, and tripe, a trifecta known as hong shao niu san bao mian in Chinese. Almost every other beef noodle parlor I’ve visited uses shin meat, but Four Four South opts for “rib finger meat� or the meat between the ribs. The rib meat, wobbly bits of tendon, and slightly funky tripe proved fortifying along with the broth. The latter, while quite beefy, was also distinct from other beef noodle restaurants in that there was no aroma of five spice whatsoever.

At first I thought it was a mistake, but owner operator Johnny Lin — yes, that’s right, Four Four South is a chain — says his beef noodle soup made from a stock of beef, chicken, and veggies that cooks for eight hours is an old-fashioned recipe. “A lot of people tell me this is the real flavor,� Lin said adding that he once encountered a Taiwanese patron in his seventies weeping into his noodles.

The story goes that when his staff asked the man if he was okay he responded by saying he was overcome by emotion since he hadn’t tasted old-fashioned beef noodle soup for 50 years.

I didn’t see any such display of emotion on my visits to Four Four South, but I did witness plenty of patrons—old and young—enjoying those springy noodles

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Januar y 23, 2020

Digging into beef noodle soup done the old-fashioned way. in the hearty soup, whose flavor is rounded out by fermented bean, chili, and a touch of pickled greens. Four Four South goes through 5,000 pounds of noodles a month made. They’re made especially for the restaurant at a factory in New Jersey. Lin says it took the operator three tries to achieve the desired texture.

Many Taiwanese are big fans of chou dou fu — or stinky tofu — but not Lin, who is glad that the Four Four South opted to feature braised tofu ($6.95) cooked in soy sauce. It’s a nice accompaniment to a bowl of old school beef noodle soup.

By the way, if you are not in the mood for beef noodle soup, the restaurant offers another great way to combat the wintry chill that has New York City in its grips: sesame oil chicken soup with vermicelli ($12.95).

Cooked with ginger, goji berries, and rice wine it is revered as a post-partum meal. Good medicine indeed.

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Chicken and sesame oil soup with ginger and goji berries is good medicine.

Address: 38-06 Prince Street, Flushing, NY 11354 Phone: 718-886-5001 Web: http://www.44southvillage.com

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Manhattan Happenings

The winter fun goes on across Manhattan, Jan. 23-31 THURSDAY, JAN. 23

1

National Pie Day at Bubby’s

Head in for all the classics from timehonored classics like apple or sour cherry, to crowd favorites like peanut butter chocolate or banoffee, there’s something for everyone!

120 Hudson Street 8 a.m.-11 p.m.

FRIDAY, JAN. 24

2

The Winter Show

Head to the Park Avenue Armory to see New York’s longest-running art, antiques, and design fair.

Times and prices vary https://thewintershow.org/visit/

a classy leather 3Make clutch

Put your craftsmanship to the test in this hands on workshop CraftJam SoHo Studio 103 Sullivan Street 6:30-9:30 p.m. h t t p s : // w w w. e v e n t b r i t e . c o m /e / make -a- classy-leather- clutch-tickets-84479427241

SATURDAY, JAN. 25

4

Star Wars Yoga

January 25th, 6:00pm – 8:00pm, at Bowery Yoga, 302 Bowery between Houston and Bleecker Fee: $50 per Jedi, which includes light saber, pizza, juice and cookies. https://newyorkloveskids.com/events/ star-wars-yoga-jedi-training-and-legostar-wars-screening/

5

Indigo Dye Workshop Curious Corners Showroom

ANGELITO JUSAY PHOTOGRAPHY LLC/COURTESY DKC

Go for a wild ride on an ice bumper car at the Br yant Park rink this Tuesday, Jan. 28.

If you’ve been dying to try this kind of art then go for it!

242 W 27th St. 11 a.m. through 2:00 p.m. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/indigodye-workshop-tickets-86770393583?af f=ebdssbeditorialcollection

SUNDAY, JAN. 26

6

Grand Bazaar NYC

Grand Bazaar NYC is hosting a jewelry box pop up on Sunday, January 26th from 10am-5:30pm featuring

their most talented jewelry vendors.

100 W 77th Street https://grandbazaarnyc.org/events/thejewelry-box-pop-up/

MONDAY, JAN. 27

7

#NastyWomen show.

Come listen to some of the more clever Trump jeers around while hearing some political insight as well.

14th Street Y, 7:30 p.m. $30 https://14streety.secure.force.com/ ticket#sections_a0F1R00000RpMVPUA3

TUESDAY, JAN. 28

8

Ice Bumper Cars at Bryant Park Ice Rink

It’s even more fun than it sounds, in town until Feb. 17. Prices vary. https://rink.wintervillage.org/

9

NBC Peacock Garden

See the bird that started all the hype in its natural state outside of 30 Rock in Rockefeller Center. Free.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 29

PHOTO COURTESY OF JOYCE SIEGEL

Join in a fun and thought provoking experience with other like minded ar t enthusiasts on Joyce’s Ar t Walk this Wednesday, Jan. 29, in Chelsea.

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Joyce’s art walk

Enjoy a curated art tour of Chelsea galleries by artist and arts educator Joyce Siegel.1:30-3:00 p.m. $50

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/joycesart-walk-tickets-82374707969

FRIDAY, JAN. 31

11

Rooftop Ice Rink at Pier 17

Spend some time at the winterland, skyline skating at Pier 17 in the Seaport District at 89 South Street. Prices vary. h t t p s : // w w w. p i e r17 n y. c o m / winterland/winterland. ht m l?ut m _ sou rc e = G o ogle & ut m _ medium=CPC&utm_campaign=Skat e2019&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIyOHk7 KaV5wIVBaSzCh2yuQaGEAAYASA AEgJcffD_BwE

SUNDAY FEB 2ND

12

Women’s only Dance For Mental Health NYC

This is not your ordinary dance class as there’s no choreography for a good cause! All ages welcome.

Shelter Studios & Theatres 244 West 54th Street,12th Floor, 3:305:00 h t t p s : // w w w. e v e n t b r i t e . c o m /e / dance-for-mental-health-nyc-tickets85099782741?aff=ebdssbeditorialcoll ection

Januar Januaryy 23, 23, 2020 2020

21 21

Cuomo starts Census Council to ensure accurate count

BY EMILY DAVENPORT

O

n Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Governor Cuomo announced the addition of a new council that will ensure that every New Yorker gets counted in the upcoming 2020 census.

The council, which will be co-chaired

by Martin Luther King III, Lucy Liu and Lin-Manuel Miranda, plans to act as the state’s coordinating arm to achieve a complete census count by using the information learned from the state’s Complete Count Commission and support from state, local and foundation funding resources. Gov. Cuomo also wants to propose an additional $10 million in this year’s budget to ensure a fair and complete count, which would bring the state’s financial support for the census to $70 million.

“As this federal administration continues to disenfranchise immigrant communities and use every means possible to stop them from filling out this year’s Census questionnaire, we are taking aggressive actions to ensure every single New Yorker is counted,” Governor Cuomo said. “This new council will lead the charge coordinating stakeholders so

PHOTO VIA SHUTTERSTOCK

we can reach our most difficult to count communities and help ensure New York is accurately represented and gets the federal funding we need and deserve.”

To make sure that every person gets counted, the council plans on holding multiple press conferences to engage not just local officials, but also advocates, community based organizations, and community leaders so they can work together to coordinate efforts, deploy available resources and oversee outreach efforts in hard-to-reach communities to make sure the count actually happens.

“Being counted in the Census may well be second only to voting when it comes to citizen action in the

Democrat process,” said Martin Luther King III. “Unfortunately, people of color are the ones most often undercounted, which leads to negative consequences for their communities. I am proud to work with Governor Cuomo to ensure every New Yorker, even those that are hardest to reach, is counted in the 2020 Census.”

The council is one of several actions that Gov. Cuomo has put forward to ensure a fair count is taken in the 2020 census. The FY 2020 Budget authorized up to $20 million for outreach and education efforts to ensure all New Yorkers are counted as part of the census, and of the $20 million, $15 million is being distributed to all 62 counties as well as the cities of Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, and Yonkers. Funds for each locality will be handed out later in January.

The remaining $5 million will be handed out over the coming year to target specific communities where further outreach will be necessary as the questionnaire filing results of the 2020 census become available.

“Representation matters and is vital for the fair allocation of federal funds to all of our communities,” said Lin-Manuel

Miranda. “I want to thank Governor Cuomo for creating the Census Council and as co-chair, I encourage my neighbors to stand up and be counted and I hope that everyone across the nation will do the same. We’re at the start of a new decade and an accurate census makes a huge difference to all of us.”

Additionally, dozens of other State agencies and authorities, CUNY, and SUNY will use their resources and ongoing contact with the public to put up to $40 million to get residents to fill out the Census using existing resources. The state has also added 225,000 addresses to the Census Bureau’s Master Address file.

“I am proud to work with Governor Cuomo, Lin Manuel Miranda and Martin Luther King III to be part of the Census Council, which will raise awareness in all communities and encourage every New Yorker to participate in the 2020 Census,” said Lucy Liu. “The Census only happens every ten years, and it is essential we are doing all we can as a State to make sure every single New Yorker is counted and our State is fairly represented at the federal level. “

NY commission approves Con Edison rate hike

BY ROBERT POZARYCKI

I

t could’ve been worse. Con Edison rates will be going up this year — but not as much as customers feared.

The state’s Public Service Commission (PSC) approved on Thursday a three-year “joint proposal” rate plan that allows for the utility company to increases costs to customers. However, the commission said, the initial rate year request was slashed by more than 75% of the initial increase Con Ed sought.

The progressive plan we have adopted — endorsed with stakeholder support by environmental groups, large businesses and municipalities in the region — benefits customers and includes provisions that further important state and Commission objectives,” said John B. Rhodes, the PSC chair.

Under the approved rate plan, a residential customer using 600 kilowatt hours of electricity per month will see their average bill increase by about 4.2% in 2020, followed by a 4.7% increase starting in January 2021 and another 4% jump for January 2022.

Con Edison gas customers who use an average of 100 therms per month will see a hike of about 7.5% this year, followed by an 8.8% increase in 2021 and a 7.2% spike in 2022.

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Januar y 23, 2020

Con Edison says it’ll use the funding generated by the rate hike for infrastructure improvements and to address rising costs.

The utility giant previously submitted a proposal for higher rate increases because of increased company costs, including “significant increases in the property tax burden,” the PSC noted. The burden alone accounted for “more than 40 percent of the increased cost over the three-year period.”

Greater operational efficiencies also led to reduced operating costs, but Con Edison also faced increased expenses for various capital improvements and new hires, the PSC noted.

In a statement, Con Edison said the

agreed-upon rate plan “is essential to helping New York State achieve its clean energy goals, as well as to continue providing safe and reliable service to our customers.” The company will invest “about $3 billion” annual to improve service reliability, and the funds the rate hike will generate will also boost programs for clean and efficient energy.

“We will be encouraging customers to choose alternatives to fossil fuels with incentives and rebates for geothermal heat pumps, energy efficient appliances and

electric vehicle chargers,” Con Edison’s statement indicated. “The plan provides $700 million over the next three years for energy efficiency programs that are some of the most cost-effective ways for customers to reduce bills.”

The utility giant also will develop “a climate change implementation plan to manage climate change risk going forward.”

Still, not everyone sees the deal as progress for the consumer or the environment.

City Comptroller Scott Stringer lamented that the state and Con Edison were “subsidizing new natural gas infrastructure,” which counters any plans to reduce emissions.

“This agreement allows Con Edison to continue to funnel ratepayer dollars into fossil fuel infrastructure that only digs us deeper into the climate crisis,” Stringer said. “Rather than building bigger pipelines, we need to invest in sustainable, reliable and affordable energy options.”

Stringer suggested that a “public takeover of New York’s natural gas system” take place if Con Ed management “can’t think past their profits.”

Con Edison is a publicly-traded company listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

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SPOTLIGHT ON LOWER MANHATTAN This year, as the Alliance for Downtown New York celebrates its 25th anniversary, we have been reflecting on how our work has helped to set the bar for what a neighborhood can be.

Back in 1995, when the Downtown Alliance was founded, Lower Manhattan’s storefronts were shuttered and splattered with graffiti.

Almost a quarter of the office space was empty. Only 14,000 people called the area home back then, and those who spent their days working Downtown had no reason to stick around when the sun went down. and winding streets. By the late ‘90s, The Downtown Alliance started its once dark office buildings began work with a fierce focus on helping to light up, and outdated vacant turn things around. Out of the box, office buildings were converted into we hired an inventive operations apartments and homes. team and dispatched squads of Over the past quarter-century, sanitation workers to make Lower Manhattan shine. Public safety our operations department, officers were hired and assigned to along with our research staff specific beats along the cobblestoned and communications team, have

tirelessly championed this unique corner of New York City. We’ve had great partners: property and business owners, residents, elected officials, and city and state agencies. And, we’ve had a dedicated board of directors to work with us every step of the way.

Today, the district’s employment base has expanded far beyond the

financial industry: book publishers, tech start-ups, big corporations and small businesses have established themselves and thrived here. In 2019, Lower Manhattan’s private sector employment numbers surpassed what they had been before 9/11. Just as important, our job base is now diverse, growing and resilient. In 1995 financial services provided roughly two thirds of the area’s jobs; today that sector makes up only one-third of our workforce. That’s really good news, since a diverse job base is a strong one. Also, today, some 62,000 New Yorkers call this neighborhood home. We are truly an exemplar of a live/work/play community.

Lower Manhattan’s resilience and grit, its grace and authenticity continue to inspire and surprise. We welcome all that the future holds.

Sincerely, Jessica Lappin, President

Host Your Next Event At LMHQ

150 Broadway lmhq.nyc

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Januar y 23, 2020

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Januar y 23, 2020

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Extra!

Extra!

Local News Read all about it!

www.TheVillager.com Schneps Media

Januar y 23, 2020

25

Real estate

TriBeCa tops city in decade-long price spike

BY EMILY DAVENPORT

I

t’s no secret that New York City is an expensive place to live — but how much has the price changed since 2010?

A new report by PropertyClub sought

in New York City neighborhood have climbed over the past decade. According

! " # had the biggest spike, skyrocketing from a median price of $1,150,000 in 2010 to $2,500,000 in 2019 — a 117% increase with a $1,350,000 price difference. &

'

Ca. In 2010, the trendy neighborhood had median sale price of $1,914,349, but by 2019, it shot up to $3,085,000. While it was only a 61% increase overall, the

$1,170,651 price difference secured its place on the list.

The Fashion District in Manhattan

found its way to the bronze medal in the

! *

+ While the area had a median selling price

of $900,000 in 2010, the price skyrocketed to $1,872,500 in 2019, marking a $972,500 (or a 108%) increase over those ten years. ! /

number four spot on PropertyClub’s list with their median price of $549,500 in 2010 boosting up to $1,439,253 in 2019.

The $889,753 marked at 162% increase for the neighborhood over the past ten years. "

* ' tan’s Lower East Side. With a median selling price of $610,000 in 2010, the price shot up to $1,396,966 in 2019, marking a $786,966 price increase, or a 132% increase overall.

Read the full report at propertyclub. nyc.

Report finds that ten Manhattan streets are among the most expensive for renting

PHOTO VIA PIXABAY

BY EMILY DAVENPORT

A

new report took a look at which New York City streets were the most expensive to rent a home.

According to StreetEasy.com’s latest report, they found that ten most expensive streets for renting were all found in Manhattan, particularly in Tribeca and SoHo. However, after using their Rent Score tool (which analyzes qualities of the apartments themselves such as Januar 23, 2020 y 23,y2020 2 26 6 Januar

to produce a score), they found that the Flatiron District’s Fifth Avenue was the most expensive with a median score of 9.83.

A contributing factor to Fifth Avenue’s score, according to StreetEasy, is that the street’s most expensive building, located at 212 Fifth Avenue, has a median rent of $26,500 per month.

The rest of StreetEasy’s list is

completely dominated by streets found in Tribeca and SoHo. At the second and third spots on the list are SoHo’s Greenwich Street and Tribeca’s Laight Street, each securing a score of 9.81. Following close behind at number four is Tribeca’s Hudson Street with a score of 9.79.

Filling in the middle of the list is SoHo’s Greene Street, Mercer Street and

sixth and seventh spots, respectively, on

StreetEasy’s list. They each earned a rent score of 9.77.

Two of Tribeca’s streets, Washington Street and Lispenard Street, took the eighth and ninth spots on the list, each earning a score of 9.72. Rounding out the bottom of the list is SoHo’s Crosby Street, which produced a 9.71 rental score.

To read the full report, visit streeteasy. com.

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