Borough President Gale Brewer and Councilwoman Margaret Chin have sued the city (again) to stop – or at least delay – the construction of the three massive towers planned for Two Bridges by three different developers. So far it’s worked. A judge ordered a halt to construction last week after the suit was filed.

The Beep and Chin maintain that not only should the project go through a public review – because it is HUGE (ie, one tower is 1,000 feet tall and between them, they would create 3,000 housing units) — it is also trodding on a deed restriction that requires one lot in question be developed for low-income senior housing. The lots are in a two-block area between South, Cherry and Clinton, just north of the Murry Bergtraum baseball field.

From Brewer: “First the Administration says that massive new development does not need a ULURP, then it slips out that there’s an affordable housing deed restriction for a portion of this development that they never mentioned. I trust that courts will recognize the need for public review and perhaps this time the Administration will learn its lesson.”

Read more here in the Gothamist.

PEARL RIVER OPENS AT MOCA
Pearl River Mart, a downtown staple since the early ‘70s, has opened an outpost at the Museum of Chinese in America at 215 Centre (between Howard and Grand). Maya Lin designed the MOCA facility in 2009, but the store is a new addition as of last week. The shop – called MOCA Shop by Pearl River – will carry merch from Asian American designers and artists as well as limited edition memorabilia from MOCA exhibitions. Pearl River is family run, now in its second generation. Below, Joseph Duong, Jonathan Chu and Nancy Yao Maasbach from MOCA; Joanne Kwong, the current Pearl River Mart president; and founders Ching Yeh Chen and Ming Yi Chen.

PLUS CHINESE NEW YEAR CELEBRATIONS
On Sunday, Feb. 10, you can also catch a Chinese opera makeup demonstration and performance at Pearl River Mart from 2 till 4, and a lion dance performance by the Wan Chi Ming troupe from 4 till 4:30.

QUILT POP UP
A community quilt exhibit is on display through March 6 in the former Vilebrequin shop in Brookfield Place (second floor) created by ace&jig – Brooklyn-based women’s clothing designers who source their own textiles in India. Open 12 to 5 daily, visitors can make their own quilt square. Thanks for the eye-spy from HR.