Link to New School’s Planning Page

A huge change of course for the proposed L train shutdown. Even though traffic on the northernmost block of University Place has been reversed, and even though the 13th St. bike lane is in full effect–and constantly blocked by trucks, of course–it now appears that none of this may have been necessary, and the upcoming 14th St. busway may not be implemented at all. Very very confusing. The MTA is ridiculous.

It doesn’t look like much now, but a new bar, Everything’s Jake, is coming to 13th St. between University and Broadway. It’ll be your place to go for a nightcap after dinner at PF Chang’s.

The New School, has picked up 34-42 West 14th St, a five-story, 180,000 square foot building, for $153 million.

The seller was Samson Associates and the sale closed on Jan. 10, according to the Commercial Observer. Samson had owned the property since 1985. The building’s tenants will remain and pay rent to the school until their leases expire but those leases won’t be renewed. The school will take over space over time and convert it to academic uses. The building has about 25k SF of ground-floor retail space and comes with additional air rights.

Note that price: $153 million.

Here on 13th St., ten-year-old Korean restaurant DoSirak has closed, while across the street in our building, BAK has opened. As it turns out, the BAK folks are the DoSirak folks, so all is well. Kimchi for all.

The whole city is going green! Several New York City Agencies and NYC advocacy groups, as well as USP, have launched a number of efforts to build a more sustainable future for the City of New York. Explore details on NYC’s foam ban, the Manhattan Solid Waste Advisory Board’s new Residential Recycling and Reuse Guidelines, and USP’s recent zero waste and sustainability efforts.

Beginning January 1st, 2019, the City’s Foam Ban goes into effect. This means certain expanded polystyrene (EPS) items will be banned from sale, distribution, or use in New York City, including foam cups, containers, dish ware, and packing peanuts. Business owners can find more information from the Department of Sanitation (DSNY) here, to fully understand the law and get help transitioning to new materials to replace foam products.

Following the announcement of the ban, NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio said, “New York City’s ban on styrofoam is long overdue, and New Yorkers are ready to start using recyclable alternatives. There’s no reason to continue allowing this environmentally unfriendly substance to flood our streets, landfills, and waterways.” USP is eager to see the positive effects this ban will have on our community and the larger NYC area.

Piola, the Brazilian pizza place on East 12th St., has closed.