Despite the “end of the lease” sign posted when Petite Abeille closed in February, a little bee tells me that co-proprietor Yves Jadot is involved in the conversion of the space at 134 W. Broadway into more of a bar, similar to his Raines Law Room and Dear Irving. The construction going on now includes reducing the size of the kitchen.

It sounds like a new partner could be onboard, but to what extent remains unclear. Jadot’s participation allows the establishment to use its existing liquor license. That matters not just because filing for a new one is a headache, but also because Community Board 1 rarely allows 4 a.m. closings anymore, but it used to. And Petite Abeille was there long enough (16 years) that it was presumably allowed to serve till 4 a.m. (at least on weekends, and possibly all week), even if it didn’t bother to actually do so.

At the time of Petite Abeille’s closing, the renewal of its sidewalk café license was set to go before Community Board 1, and I believe it’s never been discussed. Certainly, CB1’s Tribeca Committee is likely to have questions about the new establishment’s intentions, given that two other late-night destinations, Ward III and Weather Up Tribeca, are so close. Changing the method of operation—from restaurant to bar—is something the committee has had issues with about in recent months.