Free Shredding Day May 19

The upcoming Union Square Sweat Fest,  February 7 through 15, will feature lots of deals for fitness classes, workout gear, cosmetics, and more from around the neighborhood. Click on the link to learn more.

Comparing 3rd quarter 2007 to 3rd quarter 2008, real estate prices around here have actually done pretty well, according to the Times.

Neighborhoods that experienced price drops include the Lower East Side and the East Village, where median prices fell 5.5 percent; and Carnegie Hill, where co-op prices decreased 7.2 percent. Median prices in Hamilton Heights and Morningside Heights dropped 30 percent, with sales decreasing to only 19 from 67 in 2007. In Washington Heights, median prices went down 6.3 percent, but the number of sales increased to 24 from 18 in 2007.

The neighborhoods that fared the best through the third quarter included Fifth Avenue and Park Avenue from 59th to 96th Streets, where median prices went up 35 percent. In Lincoln Square, an area between 57th and 72nd Streets from Central Park West to the Hudson River that is home to high-priced apartments in 15 Central Park West and the Time Warner Center, median co-op prices went up 18.6 percent and median condo prices went up 25 percent. Prices also rose in Lenox Hill, where median co-op prices went up 19 percent; and Chelsea, where median co-op and condo prices went up about 6 percent.

Other neighborhoods that experienced increases include Greenwich Village, where median prices for co-ops went up 3.9 percent; Union Square and the Gramercy area, where co-op prices went up 3.3 percent and condo prices went up 2.6 percent; and the Upper East Side, where median co-op prices went up 2.3 percent and condo prices went up 9.1 percent.

Communication network City24/7 launched its first “SmartScreens” booths today at ten locations around Union Square. The 32-inch touch screens are affixed to phone booths, and provide users with location-based local news, transit updates, current events, and entertainment listings like restaurants and shops for free. In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, the system is also providing information on volunteer opportunities. Over the next few months, a total of 250 screens will be installed throughout the city. The ATM-strength screens can withstand extreme weather, and they include back-up batteries if power is lost. City24/7 is responsible for the installation and upkeep for the booths, which also have free wifi.

DNAinfo reports:

 

The streets around Union Square will get a set of new protected bicycle lanes this summer in an effort to fill holes in the neighborhood’s bike network, according to the Department of Transportation. 

The DOT will install a new protected bike lane going north along Fourth Avenue, a protected two-way lane on 17th Street between Union Square East and Sixth Avenue, and a series of unprotected lanes on East 15th and East 16th streets that will allow bikers easier travel between Union Square and the east side, according to Ted Wright, director of the agency’s Bikes and Greenway Program.

The new Fourth Avenue lane will be installed on the west side of the street, allowing cyclists to turn left at East 17th Street without having to leave their bike route or cross lanes of traffic, according to the proposal.

As the bike network currently exists, bikers have a protected lane on Fourth Avenue until 12th Street, where the lane loses its buffer and ends at East 14th Street. The new lanes will extend the protected lane with a buffer of flexible bollards until 15th Street, where an unprotected lane will continue north on Union Square East and connect with the new two-way protected lane at East 17th Street, according to the DOT.

The crosstown lanes, meanwhile, will help cyclists access northbound and southbound protected lanes on First and Second avenues, as well as a new protected northbound lane on Sixth Avenue, which the DOT is set to install this summer as well.

The agency’s goal is to have the lanes completed this summer, according to Wright, speaking at a Community Board 5 Transportation and Environment Committee meeting on Monday.

“That’s how we like to do it, quick and dirty,” he said.

In addition, patching up holes in Union Square’s bike lane network will help calm traffic and give cyclists more options to access other parts of the city’s maze of bike routes, but pedestrians will also benefit from the narrower roadways, Wright said.

“Protected bike lanes do make streets safer,” he said. “We see pedestrian injuries go way down with these kinds of projects.”

There was a 15 percent drop in pedestrian injuries along Second Avenue between 14th and 34th streets from 2010, when a protected bike lane was installed, until 2015, according to NYPD crash data.

Community Board 5 Transportation Committee voted on Monday to recommend approving the DOT’s plan, which was long in the making, according to board member Nancy Aber Goshow.

“We’ve been asking for something like this for a decade,” she said.

Still, some members, including Goshow, raised concerns that the plan could add to traffic problems on 17th Street, where they said a construction site and a bus pick-up zone for the Shield Institute, a school for students with developmental difficulties, regularly snarls traffic.

“Have you thought about how this could complicate traffic on East 17th Street?” Goshow asked. “It’s already a very congested street.”

Burlington Coat Factory, a leading national off-price retail chain, has announced today that it will open a new flagship store in the space formerly occupied by Filene’s. Burlington offers brand name merchandise for the entire family and home with up to 65% off department store prices every day. The new location will feature the latest trends in ladies’ dresses, suits, sportswear, juniors, accessories, menswear, family footwear and children’s clothing. It will also include a broad assortment of furniture and accessories for baby at Baby Depot, home decor and gifts, along with the largest selection of coats in the nation.

What is a Winter Warrior, you ask? For our dedicated neighbors who have braved the rain, sleet, snow and Polar Vortex to find the perfect butternut squash, you are a Winter Warrior! The friendly farmers at the Union Square Greenmarket would like to show you some appreciation.

You can pick up a Winter Warrior card at the Market Information tent and every time you check in, you’ll be able to earn rewards from these producers:

• Andrew’s Local Honey – Free Baby Honey Bear
• Anthony Road Winery – $2 Off any Bottle of Wine
• Consider Bardwell Farm – $1 Off any purchase of $5 or More
• Greener Pastures – Half Price on 1/4 lb of Sprouts
• Healthway Farm – 10lb Bag of Potatoes
• Hot Bread Kitchen – Free Chocolate Cherry Roll, Concha, M’smen, or Bialy with any purchase
• Lucky Dog Farm – 1.5lb Bag of Onions
• Martin’s Pretzels – Free $2-bag of Pretzels, or a Chocolate Pretzel
• Northshire Farm – $4 Off Any 4lbs of Vegetables
• Terhune Orchards – 5lb Bag of Baking Apples
• Troncillito Orchards – Half Gallon of Cider, or a Bag of Apples

The promotion runs through March 31st