Taste of Tribeca
The 12th annual Taste of Tribeca will take place this Saturday, May 20, from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., with center stage at Duane and Greenwich Sts. In addition to providing savory offerings from 59 participating neighborhood restaurants, the festival will host live music, children’s activities and a historical walking tour of the neighborhood. Proceeds from the festival go to support arts programs at P.S. 150 and P.S. 234.
Bouley, Chanterelle, The Odeon, and Yaffa’s T-Room are just a few of the restaurants, liquor and wine stores serving up food and drink on Saturday. The Blue Rooster Pie Blues Band, Americana musicians Stone Soup, and the JonesBones Band will provide entertainment as well. Oliver Allen, the author of “Tales of Old Tribeca,” will lead a historical walking tour beginning at 2:30 from 42 Hudson St/, for the first 50 people to arrive. Arts and crafts tables, face painting, balloon artists, and clowns will be available for the kids.
Tickets are $45 and entitle each guest to tastes from six dishes throughout the festival. They can be purchased at www.tasteoftribeca.org, or by calling 1-866-468-7619.
B.P.C. carnival
On Sunday, May 21, Battery Park City’s second Carnival on the Hudson will take over the World Financial Center Plaza, between Liberty and Vesey Sts., from noon to 6 p.m. The carnival will offer a slew of rides and games, including a giant saber tooth tiger slide, an obstacle course, skee-ball, a football toss, Henna tattoos, and karaoke. Food, music, and a silent auction and raffle, for prizes such as a Mets ticket package and a play station, will also be part of the festivities. The proceeds from the event organized by the Battery Park City Parents & Neighbors Association will benefit the P.T.A.s of P.S./ I.S.89. Unlimited carnival rides bracelets are available for $30, or four bracelets for $100. Individual tickets can be purchased at the carnival.
Stringer opposes Parker project
Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer will oppose a North Tribeca zoning change submitted by the Jack Parker Corporation and Truffles L.L.C., according to an official statement released on Wednesday.
The area in question sits on a four-block area bounded by West, Watts, Washington and Hubert Sts. The Parker firm is looking for the ability to 160-foot buildings on West St. wit a Floor-to Area ratio of 7.5.
“Like West Chelsea, Hudson Yards, and many other Manhattan neighborhoods, this area demands a comprehensive rezoning plan that balances community priorities with the citywide need for residential growth and economic development,” Stringer said.
Community Board 1 is also against the application and it now goes to the City Planning Commission and the City Council, which have the power to change or reject the plan.
The board and Stringer voted against the proposal because of concerns the zoning would “wall off” the neighborhood and allow for buildings that are too bulky.
— Ashley Tusan Joyner
Work stops on Washington St. project
Work on a closed parking lot at 415 Washington St. started and then came to an abrupt halt last week. The lot owners, Atlantic Walk L.L.C., had fenced off the lot on May 1, claiming the parking lot lease had expired. The parking lot lessee, Jordan Parking, has disputed that claim.
Last week the owner began tearing up the asphalt and dug a trench several feet down. On May 8, a lawyer for the parking lot filed a “show cause” order in Civil Court, which led to the work stoppage until the lease dispute can be resolved.
Atlantic Walk has plans for a seven-story condominium on the lot, bounded by Washington and Vestry Sts., although the site has not yet been zoned for residential construction.
“It’s our position that the landlord, Atlantic Walk, came in and illegally put us out of the parking lot,” said Shari Laskowitz, lawyer for Jordan Parking. “They claim that our lease term is up and we claim it is not. Right now we’re just in court to try to get restored to possession of the parking lot while we further litigate whether our lease is actually up or not.” Both parties are due in court May 18.
— Jefferson Siegel
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