Free Hugs Cause Minor Park Panic

Wondering what happened to the cute green building on 13th between 5th and 6th that housed Taste of Tokyo and La Dolce Vita? It’s gone. In its place will rise a small boutique hotel.

Expanded pedestrian space and more cycling lanes are central to a planned redesign of Manhattan’s Broadway between E. 17th and E. 21st streets, city officials announced on Monday.

The changes are subject to public outreach — but Department of Transportation officials said they could mimic a change to other areas of Broadway between Union Square and E. 50th Street, where crews in recent years have added more pedestrian plazas, outdoor dining space and wider crosswalks designed to keep pedestrians safe from crashes.

DOT officials also said they’re considering adding a two-way bike lane between E. 17th and E. 21st streets, which already has a one-way southbound lane for cyclists.

The city earlier this year completed an overhaul of Broadway between E. 25th and E. 32nd streets, adding more space for pedestrians, another two-way bike lane and other infrastructure designed to make motorists drive slower.

“This next phase of Broadway Vision will provide the same kind of vibrant public spaces connecting Union Square and Flatiron, just like our administration is doing with incredible success across the entire city,” Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement.

The latest planned improvements are just north of Union Square — and just south of where a taxi driver jumped a sidewalk last year, sending several pedestrians to the hospital.

Ralph Lauren Denim and Supply, a fixture on the corner of University and 12th for the past few years, is done.

Details and renderings of this new ten-story condo here.

Sad to see that Patisserie Fouet on 13th St. is no more. It closed suddenly and without much explanation. Perhaps an end-of-year lease situation. They do have another location at 776 9th Ave at 52nd St.

Witnick Real Estate Partners purchased a mixed-use, multifamily apartment building in Union Square for $23 million. The building, located at 30 East 14th Street between Fifth Avenue and University Place, came with 30,720 square feet of air rights and sold for approximately $1,124 per square foot, meaning that a larger building might be on the way. But, plans for the property are unclear and Witnick did not respond to a request for comment.