Inside the Lovely 12 East 13th St.

As construction continues at the northern end of Union Square Park, more and more trees are being removed. See for yourself.

Dear Board Members, Residents, & Building Staff,

While we are enjoying the nice rain-free weather lately, New York experienced truly little rainfall in October. In fact, it is the second-longest dry spell we have seen in 155 years. This means we are potentially facing water shortages if either the weather does not change and/or we do not cut back on water usage. This past Saturday, Mayor Adams asked city agencies to implement “water savings plans” and suggested that New Yorkers consider cutting back at the tap. While his announcement does not mandate any restrictions on water use, we want to be mindful of the situation. And as we manage hundreds of properties in the five boroughs, we feel it is important to pass along this message. For New Yorkers living in AKAM managed properties interested in doing their part, please consider the following water-saving measures:

In the Bathroom:

• Taking shorter showers will save 5 to 7 gallons a minute.
• When taking a bath, fill the tub only halfway and save 10 to 15 gallons.
• Install water-saving toilets, showerheads, and faucet aerators.
• Place a plastic bottle filled with water in your toilet tank if you cannot switch to a low-flow toilet.
• Turn off the faucet while shaving, washing your hands, or brushing your teeth. Faucets use 2 to 3 gallons a minute.
• Do not use the toilet as a wastebasket, and do not flush it unnecessarily.

In the Laundry Room/ Kitchen:

• Run the dishwasher and washing machine only when full. Save even more by using the short cycle.
• Install faucet aerators.
• Turn off the water while washing dishes. Kitchen faucets use 2 to 3 gallons a minute. Filling a basin only takes 10 gallons to wash and rinse.

Outside:

• Use a self-closing nozzle on your hose.
• Sweep your sidewalk or driveway instead of using water.
• Water plants before 9am or after 7pm and do not overwater them.

Other:

• Repair leaky faucets and turn taps off tightly. A slow drip wastes 15 to 20 gallons each day.
• Do not open fire hydrants.
• If you see a leaking or running fire hydrant, please report it to 311 or fill out this online form so we can follow up.

Check out this list of stores. 

The Union Square area is becoming a high-tech hotbed. Mashable CEO Pete Cashmore was interviewed about why he brought his company here:

Last September, Pete Cashmore moved Mashable’s headquarters from 23rd Street to the heart of Union Square. What he found when he arrived was a climate he says is perfect for startups.

Factors that play into the business climate he found just a few blocks south of Mashable’s previous location include a fertile history of innovation, access to creative talent, and proven professionals. But in the end, what’s most attractive to Cashmore is good, old-fashioned, face-to-face interactions.

“Union Square has always been a meeting place, where people come together and share ideas,” Cashmore told me on Tuesday at an event at the British Residence of New York. “And now with it becoming a real hub of innovation it is a great place to be.”

Now employing about 140 people, Mashable’s offices occupy two floors on Fifth Avenue and 17th Street.

No doubt, part of what Cashmore found there was nurtured by venture capital firm, Union Square Ventures (USV), which was founded in 2004 and now manages $1 billion in assets across six funds. USV’s previous investment in New York City-based companies include Etsy (Nasdaq: ESTY), Tumblr (acquired by Yahoo for $1.1 billion), and MongoDB, which has raised $311 million venture capital.

But over the past year, the number of significant real-estate investments in Union Square shows that it’s much more than just Fred Wilson’s influence at work in the area.

The top three lease transactions of 2015 are BuzzFeed, which now occupies 194,000 square feet at 225 Park Avenue South, Gawker Media, which is in 58,900 square feet at 114 Fifth Avenue, and First Look Media in 58,206 square feet at the same location, according to a Union Square Partnership report published in May. New and expanded office tenants in Union Square also include Dropbox, Adobe Systems Inc. Hulu, Lippe Taylor, Pop2Life, Capital One Labs, The New Republic, and Compass.

The top sector in the area is “professional, scientific, and tech services,” with 1,514 firms, followed by retail with 1,393 firms. Among the top firms by number of employees is J. Crew, listed with 3,800 employees and Tory Burch, with 1,800. In total, 9,700 businesses are located within the half-mile radius of Union Square considered by the report, employing over 153,000 people.

What’s attracting all this talent? Not the rent. According to a May report by San Francisco-based real estate analytics firm Zumper, only two neighborhoods are more expensive than Greenwich Village, where Union Square technically is designated as being located. Average rent for a one bedroom apartment costs $3,850. In Chelsea it’s $3,920, and in Tribeca, $4,450. According to the same report, New York City was the second most expensive city in the United States, just behind San Francisco.

In an interview Wednesday, Union Square Partnerships managing director Scott Hobbs ventured his own theory as to why so many innovative companies are moving to his neighborhood. “The biggest reason is it’s a transportation hub,” he said. “You’ve got Williamsburg for creatives across the river, and midtown for business.” Trains that depart Union Square Station are the N, R, Q, 4, 5, 6, and L.

As for Cashmore, his explanation is much more simple. “What’s really great about Union Square is you can go get a coffee and bump into someone doing something interesting in tech,” he said.

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.

This is the 2 week look ahead for the New School’s University Center. Next week (August 5 to August 9), material and equipment deliveries and installation work will continue on all floors inside the building.

The following week (August 12 to August 16), material and equipment deliveries and installation work will continue on all floors.

This weekend the site will be open on Saturday, August 3rd for interior, and sidewalk activities between the work hours of 7AM and 5PM as permitted by the City. Additionally we will be paving along 13th st.

Just a note to those who have made inquiry, the wall board panels are temporary and will be replaced when the final entrances are installed.