Sad news from University Place, where the University Diner, one of the last of its kind, is closing today. One can only wonder what will appear in its place, not to mention what will appear at the corner of University and 13th and the corner of Broadway and 14th. The malling of the neighborhood continues.
Art supply store Sam Flax is closing its store at 11 West 19th St. There are big savings on things like high-end office furniture, all kinds of art supplies, stationery, and lots of picture frames. The sale will run through June. 
Even if NYU adds space by building at the World Trade Center as was recently reported, it still wants to build big in the Village. How big is big? The Greeenwich Village Society For Historical Preservation has brought the plans to animated life so we can all see.
Here’s the latest rendering of the very expensive condos that will rise in the hole in the ground at 13th and 5th. Note there are only a few duplex apartments. They will be really pricey.
David Chang’s impressive restaurant empire is a joy to have in the neigborhood. His latest accomplishment is the weird and wonderful Momofuku Milk Bar on 13th near 2nd Ave. Try it out for some wild and tasty takeaway desserts. A little pricey, but it’s one of those “only in New York” things. We’re lucky to have it. Get the crack pie or the compost cookies.
The nonprofit behind the Union Square Greenmarket plans to open a new community space in the neighborhood to host events and classes on sustainability and nutrition, and provide a spot for other nonprofits in the city to gather near Union Square, according to GrowNYC Assistant Director Julie Walsh. The space, called “Project Farmhouse,” is expected to open at 76 E. 13th St., near Fourth Avenue, by November with a test kitchen, a conference room and a vertical grow wall with moving trays designed to rotate plants so they all get the ideal amount of water, fertilizer and light, said Kate Chura of GrowNYC, who is overseeing the project.
From the paper:
A new tech hub, which had its land use application approved on Feb. 27, is one step closer to coming to Union Square — between NYU’s Palladium Residence Hall and University Residence Hall. The new facility, currently branded as the Union Square Tech Hub, would replace the recently vacant 124 E. 14th St. address that P.C. Richard & Son formerly occupied.
Mayor Bill de Blasio advocated for the construction of the hub early last year, but approval has been met by opposition from local community groups concerned of overdevelopment.
On one hand, NYU supports the building addition but it has no part in the hub’s construction besides the neighboring walls of two of its residence halls.
“NYU hasn’t had any direct involvement in the project,” university spokesperson John Beckman wrote in an email. “However, we have supported the overall efforts to strengthen [New York City’s] science, tech and innovation economy, from the creation of our own Center for Urban Science and Progress to the development of 370 Jay St. as a tech hub in downtown Brooklyn to Tandon’s [Tandon School of Engineering’s] stewardship of several incubators. The Union Square Tech Hub is meant to advance NYC’s [New York City’s] tech economy, and that’s an objective NYU supports.”
The hub would generate 600 jobs and would feature office spaces for startup tech companies, according to the mayor’s office.