Do you know what’s going on at 27 Desbrosses? It’s at the southeast corner of Washington and Desbrosses. We just noticed they boarded up around the storefront. —M.

When this email came in last month, I totally dismissed it: “I noticed it the other day,” I wrote back, “and I figured it was just a renovation—if I remember correctly, it was pretty beaten up (I think I took a photo of insulation coming through the cracks in the wall). And given the location, it’s hard to imagine it could be turning into a storefront.” The trend is for ground-floor spaces to go residential, if you haven’t noticed.

A week or so later, I was passing by, and I checked out the permits, one of which is to “convert cellar and first floor from retail and storage to eating and drinking establishment.” Huh-what?

I poked around, and sure enough, Ponte Equities (which owns most, if not all, of northwest Tribeca) confirmed that it’s a partnership between them and [Update: We had a miscommunication on the phone] they’ve rented the space to the folks from the Anchor Bar up on Spring. One has to assume that the top half will be the restaurant and the bottom the bar. No matter what, it promises to liven up northwest Tribeca, for better and/or for worse.

Got a question? Email it to tribecacitizen@gmail.com.

Previous “Nosy Neighbor” posts:
• What happened to the Lilac?
• When will those trailers on West Street go away?
• Do you know anything about 20-24 Varick?
• What’s happening to my parking lot?
• Is Pier 26 being worked on again?
• What’s up with Jin Market?
• What are those black pellets on Pier 25?
• What do the characters on 47 Vestry mean?
• When is T.J. Maxx opening?
• Where is the Special Forces monument going?
• Who’s moving into 151 Hudson?
• What’s going on at 172 Duane?
• Where is Compose’s pastry chef cooking now?
• What’s up with those Verizon carts?
• Where was the original Blues Bar?
• Who are the guys in the geeky pants?
• Why are the windows above Ponte’s boarded up?
• Can we walk on the West Street medians?
• What’s going on in 157 Hudson?
• What’s the new painting at 153 Hudson?
• What’s up with 55 Warren/55 Murray?
• What is this P.C. Richard & Son Theater I keep hearing about?
• What’s the story behind the lights at 289 Church?
• What’s the Dream House at 275 Church?
• How come every every film and TV shoot seems to have a trailer with doors marked “Lucy” and “Desi”?