The Gorham Building at Bway/19th

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.

Rumor has it that the recently departed The Adore on 13th St. will be replaced by another French cafe. More rumors soon.

Curbed.com is reporting on a terrible HVAC noise problem being caused by the system installed by Vapiano last summer. Watch the video, and you’ll see and hear the problem. Here’s the report:

There’s nothing like a good noise controversy to round out the day, so here’s a tipster’s accusation that University Place chain restaurant Vapiano is destroying neighbors’ eardrums: “For the last seven months, residents of 48 East 13th Street, 107 University Place and 35 East 12th Street have been living with an egregious noise condition created by Vapiano’s HVAC system. Attempts to correct this with the various NYC agencies (DEP, DOB have thus far have not been effective. Vapiano has been issued 3 noise violations thus far by the DEP, has been the subject of TV news coverage (NY1 & Fox5), has been found in violation of the Building Code (twice!) and yet the residents are still subjected to the loud illegal noise levels from early morning to well into the late. This has been going on every day since July 16th of 2010.” Precise! So what do the locals plan to do about it? >> The neighbors have a plan: shame the restaurant via blog, video, and petition. Says our tipster about the video, “there is nothing wrong with your speakers, that’s actually what Vapiano’s HVAC system sounds like. If the noise is too loud and you can’t understand what people are saying just turn up the volume!” Noise wars: on.

Sweetgreen, the expensive high-end organic salad bar place, will arrive in the vacant space on University Place between 12th and 13th St. Kale for everyone.

Now open in the former D’Agostino’s location is Agata and Velentina, a high-end grocery store with an Italian flair. Lots of meats, cheeses, and prepared foods. Prices sort of on a par with Garden of Eden. One gripe: the store layout forces you to follow a single path and the result can be crowding and claustrophobia at certain times of the day. Try it out.

This rather fascinating report on pedestrian foot traffic in the area reveals that sidewalk crowds are up 53% in the past five years. If you’ve ever walked past Whole Foods at 6 PM, this will come as no surprise. In fact, Whole Foods is probably mainly responsible for the surge.