Old PS 64 💌 Rally & Press Conference – Tuesday, 2/14, 2pm

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ElBohioValentineFlier2.14.17-4-crop

Join elected officials, community organizations and activists to ask Mayor de Blasio to be our Valentine and give us back our Community Center former CHARAS El Bohio, P.S. 64 at 605 East 9th Street!

Artists, dancers, actors, musicians, residents, community not-for-profit orgs. & service providers. Come as your favorite cultural or community resource, or come as you are!

What can you do?

  • Come to the Rally and Press Conference about saving Old P.S. 64/Charas-El Bohio on Tuesday, 2/14, 2pm — Steps of City Hall
    💌 RSVP, invite your friends, like and share the Facebook invite to the Rally
  • Come to MORUS for Sign Painting 
    Sunday, February 12th from 3:30pm to 7:30pm
    Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space, 155 Avenue C
    💌 RSVP, invite your friends, like and share the Facebook invite to the Rally
  • Print out  the Valentine’s Rally flyer and distribute to friends, neighbors, local businesses.
    💌 Ask your favorite businesses to post it in their window.
  • Write Mayor de Blasio! 
    💌 Urge him to reverse the Department of Buildings’ ruling and not allow a phony “dorm for hire” to go into old P.S. 64.

    Brief history:

    In 2005 community members, organizations and elected officials joined to get Old P.S. 64 landmarked and the City limits uses here to “community facilities.” As the developer tried repeatedly to get around the the usage restriction by making it a “dorm for hire,” so our community allies asked the City to tighten up the dorm rules.

    The developer owner is trying yet again to sneak around these tighter rules and has hired the same lobbyist involved in the scandalous lifting of the deed restriction for the nearby Rivington House! And what’s worse is now it’s the DoB breaking it’s own rules! That has terrible implications, not just for our beloved CHARAS El Bohio, but for endangered, culturally significant buildings across the City. 

    💌Mayor de Blasio, have a heart and put a stop to this!💌

    Read more on recent happenings at The Villager and at GVSHP or find a full history here.

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432 E. 14th St. TOWER – 1/24 OPPOSE Variance Application!

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NO Taller than Zoning Allows!

Tuesday Jan. 24th at 1pm – Testify at the BSA Hearing!

The developers of 432 E.14th Street have applied to The Board of Standards and Appeals for variance to build higher than our zoning allows — 50% (four floors) higher!
432e14th_OpposeVariance
Left: Former Peter Stuyvesant Post Office. Center: Height allowed (8 stories). Right: Height requested 12 stories).

Compare the heights above. Compliance is 8 stories. Proposed is 12. Like the EVCC, our colleagues in preservation, Community Board 3, and many residents, we believe you will agree that this building is oversized and way out of scale. We worked hard to get  special zoning put in place — to prevent exactly this. We need your voice. Tell the BSA we stand behind our zoning.


Testify at the BSA Hearing on January 24th
BSA hearing room, 22 Reade Street, Spector Hall at 1pm

We believe the developers claims “hardship” because of “unique circumstances” are bogus. Do not let them get away with cramming an oversized building into a space where it doesn’t belong just because it is on 14th Street. The back of the building goes through to 13th Street and will be very visible, have widespread effects and sets a bad precedent. We must stand up to this encroachment and uphold our zoning.

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WHAT CAN YOU DO?

  • EMAIL THE BOARD OF STANDARDS AND APPEALS via this form. URGE THEM TO REJECT THE VARIANCE!
  • TESTIFY AT THE BSA HEARING – January 24th at 1pm – BSA hearing room, 22 Reade Street, Spector Hall.
  • FORWARD BY EMAIL or PRINT OUT  this flyer and post it in your lobby or community center, distribute to friends, neighbors, local businesses.

 

Old P.S. 64/CHARAS Community Meeting – Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2017

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Join neighbors, community organizations and elected officials for an update on recent developments  at Old P.S. 64/CHARAS. A Community Meeting will be held at Loisaida, Inc, 710 East 9th Street on Wednesday,  January 18th at 6:30pm.  You cans also help by emailing the mayor and inviting others! See links below.

charas_flyercrop_2017-01-18
2005: Old P.S. 64 Landmark Status Confirmed 2016: Old P.S. 64 Threatened Again

Stand with your neighbors and community partners, again, to ask the City to return Old P.S. 64 / Charas / El Bohio to the East Village as a community and cultural resource.

What is the urgency right now? The developer has obtained work permits for a portion of the building which goes against the DoB’s own regulations on partial leasing.  Since DoB has refused to rescind the permits we need to take it to the mayor. What can you do now.

  • Email or print this flyer and invite every community member to join us on Jan 18th to urge Mayor DeBlasio to have the DoB to rescind these improper permits immediately, before Old PS 64 is damaged beyond repair.
  • Write Mayor de Blasio and urge him to reverse the Department of Buildings’ ruling

A brief history:

In 2005 community members, organizations and elected officials joined to get Old P.S. 64 landmarked and the City limits uses here to “community facilities.”

Old P.S. 64 has sat vacant and fallow since the developer has tried repeatedly to tear the building down has removed its valuable architectural features, and get around the the usage restriction by making “dorm for hire.”

The EVCC, GVSHP and our community allies asked the City to tighten up the dorm rules to prevent developers from slipping in “dorms for hire” and other uses disguised as legitimate dormitories.

The developer owner is seeking to get around these tighter rules that we fought for. He has hired the same lobbyist involved in the scandalous lifting of the deed restriction for the nearby Rivington House.

Read more at The Villager and at GVSHP.  For a comprehensive history, see P.S. 64 – CHARAS, El Bohio: A History.

 

What can you do?

  • Come to the community meeting about saving Old P.S. 64/Charas-El Bohio on Wednesday, January 18, 2017- 6:30 p.m. at Loisaida, Inc., 710 East 9th Street (SW corner at Ave. C) – flyer here.
  • Print out this flyer and distribute to friends, neighbors, local businesses.
  • Write Mayor de Blasio! Urge him to reverse the Department of Buildings’ ruling and not allow a phony “dorm for hire” to go into old P.S. 64

General Slocum Walking Tour 6/15

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On June 15, join Greenwich Village Society For Historic Preservation, Lower East Side Preservation Initiative, East Village Community Coalition, Friends of the Upper East Side Historic Districts, South Bronx Unite and Manhattan Borough Historian Michael Miscione for a walking tour to learn more about the General Slocum tragedy. The walking tour will conclude at German restaurant Zum Schneider.

Ship Abalze by Edward T. O’Donnell.
Ship Ablaze by Edward T. O’Donnell.
Slocum Memorial Fountain, Tompkins Square Park.
Slocum Memorial Fountain, Tompkins Square Park.

7/14: #EastVillageLoves Launch Party

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A very special launch of our #EastVillageLoves campaign, designed to encourage locals and tourists alike to shop small, independent businesses, particularly those affected by the March explosion on the corner of 2nd Ave. and 7th St.

Jimmy’s No. 43
43 East 7th St (2nd & 3rd Ave)
Tuesday, July 14, 7-9PM
Neighbors. Networking. Support for locals, by locals.

First round of drinks is free!*

*ID will be required for those who wish to be served alcohol.

RSVP

 

About East Village Tuesdays The East Village Tuesdays meetup series is designed to bring together residents of the East Village in the hope that socializing, sharing and supporting one another will lead to a stronger, more informed community. Our East Village Tuesdays series is presented by the East Village Community Coalition’s Host Committee, dedicated to creating enjoyable and informative events throughout the community on behalf of the EVCC.

6/24: Preserving Local, Independent Retail Roundtable

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FRZ Final 5.27.15-1

In June 2015 the East Village Community Coalition released Preserving Local, Independent Retail: Recommendations for Formula Retail Zoning in the East Village, an analysis of the the growing presence of chain stores in the lower Manhattan neighborhood. These stores are changing the landscape of the neighborhood by altering the shopping choices from independent to mass-market retailers.

Three possible methods of formula retail zoning are proposed within the report. These options — aimed at informing decisions by East Village policy makers — have been crafted using case studies, legal suggestions and pre-existing zoning frameworks from other parts of the country. Join us to learn more about the proposals and ask questions about efforts to block the proliferation of chain stores in New York State and beyond.

The Preserving Local, Independent Retail Roundtable is presented as part of our Get Local! campaign launched in 2006 to promote a diverse retail mix of independent stores that reflect the neighborhood’s character and serve its population.

RSVP

Light refreshments will be provided.

6/16: East Village Tuesdays

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East Village Tuesdays: Networking Event
Cafe Silan, 280 East 10th Street
June 16th, 6:30pm – 8:30pm

Step in to a friendly neighborhood cafe and network with neighbors and business owners in the area. Small bites and light refreshments will be served.

RSVP

 

About East Village Tuesdays
The East Village Tuesdays meetup series is designed to bring together residents of the East Village in the hope that socializing, sharing and supporting one another will lead to a stronger, more informed community.  Our East Village Tuesdays series is presented by the East Village Community Coalition’s Host Committee, dedicated to creating enjoyable and informative events throughout the community on behalf of the EVCC.

Contact the East Village Community Coalition (EVCC) Host Committee with questions via HostCommittee@evccnyc.org

3/5: Solutions to Save Small Businesses: A Community Forum

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Judson Memorial Church
55 Washington Square South
Thursday March 5th, 7pm – 9pm; Doors open 6:30pm

Join neighbors, local business people, and a panel of experts to save and protect the small businesses that are the lifeblood of our community. 

The City Council on January 22, introduced a new resolution calling upon Albany to pass legislation establishing a property tax credit for commercial landlords who voluntarily limit rent increases upon renewal. Only landlords who “volunteer” to participate will be given tax breaks as incentives to not rent gouge tenants. The opposite option, the Small Business Jobs Survival Act, (S.B.J.S.A.). regulates the lease renewal process by giving rights to business owners equal to landlords to negotiate fair lease terms, and the right to 10 year leases. If both parties can not mutually agree on lease terms, the bill calls for Arbitration.

Which of these is the best solution? Or is there a better solution?

Landlords now have all the rights, rights to determine the destiny of owners, their workers, and the destiny of the character and culture of an entire community. Because the gateway to the American Dream has been locked, the key freely handed to big Real Estate, many feel it is time to throw a ‘life line’ and ‘empower’ our struggling small businesses now drowning in a sea of greed.

Panelists:

Sung Soo Kim – Former Chair: Mayor’ Small Business Advisory Board
Alfred Placeres – Founder, NYS Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Jenny Dubnau – Spokesperson for The Artist Studio Affordability Project
Jack Segan – Community Affairs Representative for Jetro Foods
Robert Perl – President of Tower Brokerage
Mark Crispin Miller – Professor of Media Studies; Critic of NYU overdevelopment

Moderated by Lincoln Anderson, The Villager Editor-in-Chief

 

Sponsored by The Villager and Village Independent Democrats

Visit TheVillager.com and VillageDemocrats.org for details

Holiday Card Campaign: Ask for the return of our community center

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3-kings-day-flyerHOLIDAY CARD CAMPAIGN DELIVERY!

SOCCC-64 (SAVE OUR COMMUNITY CENTER former CHARAS/El BOHIO P.S. 64) is writing & collecting personalized holiday cards to ask Mayor De Blasio to return our community center! Make your own card or use the downloadable template — just add your name and address!

Then…

JOIN US with the Three Kings and their camels

TO DELIVER our cards to the mayor

WHEN:
Three Kings Day – Tuesday, January 6, 2015

SCHEDULE:
If it’s 40 degrees or above…
12:00 noon – Meet at 605 East 9th Street (btwn Aves. B & C)
12:30 p.m. – March or Take Public Transportation to City Hall

And/Or
1:30 p.m. – Meet Us at City Hall Plaza

NOTE: If it is too cold or wet, below 40 degrees…we will not march to City Hall
Gather at City Hall Plaza (across from the Brooklyn Bridge) at 1:30 pm