Corner Deli to Become Qdoba

According to transit data from MTA and Citi Bike, Union Square continues to be one of the City’s top destinations for employees, residents and visitors alike. While subway ridership remains low across the system, currently 20% of normal use, turnstile activity at the Union Square-14th Street station has tripled since April.

Similarly, bus ridership on the M14A/D busway is gaining momentum as average daily bus ridership has tripled since its low point in late March, reaching nearly 60% of pre-COVID daily ridership levels. For those visiting the district by Citi Bike, Broadway and 17th Street remains one of the City’s top 10 destination stations and ridership is up 45% since April. Another popular end station, Broadway and East 14th Street has experienced a 57% increase in use since April.

Other indicators are up too. Union Square’s public Wi-Fi use is up to 42% from 15% at the start of the pandemic, signaling an uptick in outdoor activity. The district’s active public realm can be attributed to the draw of the Greenmarket, the expansion of outdoor dining activating sidewalks and roadways, and the reopening of local business that attracts steady foot traffic across the district.

Union Square’s zip codes (10003, 10010 and 10011) make up 16% of Open Restaurants applications in Manhattan with the City’s highest number of applications located in 10003! Within Union Square-14th Street, nearly two thirds of businesses are conducting storefront activity and this number continues to grow as additional businesses and cultural institutions are making exciting plans to open their doors with events and programming as soon as it is safe to do so.

Check out all the new restaurants that are headed our way.

Below is the ID and password for the Build the Block meeting on Thursday 9/30.

If you have any questions or concerns, please e-mail them over by Thursday morning. I look forward to seeing everyone.

MEETING ID: 831 3980 3750

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83139803750?pwd=NlBENU5pSHZIUHFiaG1FSGlmVzlNdz09

PASSWORD: NCOB123

Police Officer Maureen Carey
Neighborhood Coordination Officer Sector B
New York City Police Department
6th Precinct 233 West 10th Street
Cell: 917-940-1411
Email: Maureen.Carey@NYPD.org

Here’s the official word on how the renovations are going:

Spring weather has brought with it a flurry of activity in Union Square Park, both in the new playground and at the construction site.  Parents and kids have been taking full advantage of the warm sunny days by swinging, climbing and sliding their way out of the winter doldrums.  The Partnership’s new landscape efforts, including more than 260 ornamental shrubs and 650 perennials, will soon be underway, as well as the creation of additional seating opportunities in the center lawn, in front of the new Pavilion entrance and around the James Fountain (a/k/a Mother & Child).

In construction news, structural work on the Pavilion columns and ceiling beams has finished at last, and the protective plywood barriers have been removed from the front of the building, exposing the beautifully restored neo-classical interior to passersby.  As the Pavilion elevator is installed and tested, interior lighting fixtures, gates and handrails round out the final touches of building restoration work.

Park visitors can soon make use of the restroom facilities as they, too, near completion.  Last week, eco-resin panels were mounted above the granite walls to enclose the building, allowing the final plumbing fixtures to be installed.  Once complete, the Parks Department will work closely with the Department of Buildings to inspect all systems in order to open the facilities for the busy summer season.

Global tea shop powerhouse HeyTea is branching out into tea-flavored gelato, and its arrival at 863 Broadway is already causing block-long lines. Read about it here.