Watch Out for Water Shutoffs

ByDon

You’ve surely noticed the water main repairs happening along 13th St. This will lead to water shutoffs at 830AM for up to five hours on Tuesday the 12th and Thursday the 14th, and perhaps other times.

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  • Regal 14 Theater Gains Three More Screens But Still Isn’t Open

    ByDon
    After 18 months of remodeling, Regal Union Square in New York was hoping to welcome moviegoers to the theatrical experience of the future.
    The Manhattan branch went through an extensive facelift, changing the 14-screen theater to a 17-screen location. It now includes a panoramic Screen X, as well as an enhanced 4DX experience which combines smell and motion to the filmgoing experience. It’s added a bar, as well as a Lavazza coffee shop downstairs. The building is intended to be one of the flagship experiences in the Regal Cinema’s chain.
    “We’ve had enough of being locked up in our homes, watching movies on handheld devices, TVs,” said Regal Cinemas regional director Andy Stone. “It’s all about going out, socializing, and sharing an experience.”
    It looks like they’ll have to wait a little bit longer. Because of the coronavirus, New York movie theaters are still under orders to remain closed.
    On top of that, the U.S. filmgoing public seems a bit hesitant to return to the movies, even if theaters are given the green light by local governments. Many were hoping that the release of films like The New Mutants and Tenet would kickstart the movie theater business. As of September 28, only New York, North Carolina, and New Mexico have not reopened indoor movie theaters, though some large cities like Los Angeles have kept their theaters shut.
    Regal’s Stone says that for any movies that do release, Regal Union Square and its sister branches are ready to run them for the public. In addition to updating its air filtration system, it has other new safety rules in place, including a requirement to wear masks. Hand sanitizing stations are easily found, and plexiglass dividers have been installed to put a barrier between patron and employee. Its ticket sales system is set up to restrict crowds to meet government requirements on capacity.
    It’s also updated ticket buying so people can scan their tickets themselves on their smartphone. You can also order your popcorn and snacks via an app and pick it up at the end of the counter, eliminating the need to interact with concession employees. Many of these modernizations were in development before the pandemic and ready in time for the age of social distancing.
    “As a business, you know, we really do embrace technology,” Stone explained. “And during this time what it’s done is actually given us that opportunity to work through some of the technological changes that we were looking to implement.”
    In addition to serving cinephiles, Regal is also eager to reopen for the many employees who work at the theaters. The company has had to furlough most of its staff as theaters remain shuttered. Revenue has been down 99 percent year-over-year.
    Stone, who started his own theater career as a concessionist popping popcorn and worked his way up, pointed out his journey is not a unique one. While many teens and young adults work at movie theaters, many chains like Regal have career progression plans which can employ people for life. Closed theaters cut off their livelihood, in addition to the third-party vendors that rely on the movies for business.
    “It’s more than just serving from behind a concession stand and cleaning an auditorium,” he explained.
    He has his fingers crossed that Regal Union Square will be able to open its doors soon.
    “Although there has been a period where we have been starved of our movies, there’s still so much more to come,” Stone said.

  • Union Square Communication Screens

    ByDon

    Communication network City24/7 launched its first “SmartScreens” booths today at ten locations around Union Square. The 32-inch touch screens are affixed to phone booths, and provide users with location-based local news, transit updates, current events, and entertainment listings like restaurants and shops for free. In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, the system is also providing information on volunteer opportunities. Over the next few months, a total of 250 screens will be installed throughout the city. The ATM-strength screens can withstand extreme weather, and they include back-up batteries if power is lost. City24/7 is responsible for the installation and upkeep for the booths, which also have free wifi.

  • 65 University Place Is Built Like a Brick ———

    ByDon
    65 University Place, between East 10th and 11th Streets, is very much on the rise, with its pricey 28 residential units above. The project represents Indian-based developer Bsafal’s first foray into the United States. The firm, in partnership with Argo Real Estate, purchased the site for $30 million in July 2019 and in February 2021, demolition permits were filed to take down the nondescript four-story commercial building at 64-66 University Place. While the offices on upper floors were long vacant, the ground-floor retail tenant, gourmet grocer Agata & Valentina, had announced plans to close following a dramatic rent increase at the end of 2019.
    While designer Kohn Pedersen Fox‘s New York City portfolio includes such skyscrapers as Two Waterline Square and 111 Murray Street, the new building is rising to a more moderate scale of 125 feet high. Renderings depict a context-sensitive structure that holds University Place’s strong streetwall and faces its main facade with oversized arched windows framed by corbelled brickwork.
    One can only guess at what the condo prices will be.

  • Goodbye, P.C. Richard

    ByDon

    From Crain’s New York Business:

    The P.C. Richard & Son store near Union Square is going the way of the cathode ray television set and VCRs.

    The city’s Economic Development Corp. has announced a request for proposals to redevelop a city-owned site at 124 E. 14th St. that for the past 19 years has been home to a two-level building occupied by the electronics and appliance store.

    The EDC is encouraging developers to pitch projects that include new office space for booming industries in the neighborhood, such as technology and creative businesses. According to the city’s guidelines, the development could provide fledgling companies with the space to get started and also a location for young but established firms to transition from incubator and co-working spaces that have sprouted around the city into their own digs.

    Proposals may also include residential space, although a spokesman for the city said the EDC’s goal is an office-focused development. Current zoning on the site, however, would seem to encourage a residential component. About 140,000 square feet of housing can be built at the address versus about 93,00 square feet of commercial space. A project could be a blend of the two.

    Midtown South has become the city’s hottest office market, with space in the vicinity of Union Square especially popular for its access to transit, shopping, restaurants and tony residential neighborhoods.

    “The current site of the PC Richard store will serve as a new tech hub in Union Square, capitalizing on the academic and transit advantages offered by the neighborhood and its proximity to the Flatiron district,” said Maria Torres-Springer, president of the EDC, in a statement. “This is just one example of how we are finding creative uses for the assets we have in a city where space is harder and harder to come by.”

    Bids for the property are due by February, the spokesman said, which is the same month that P.C. Richard’s lease is set to expire.