NEIGHBOR BREAKS INTO WOMEN’S APARTMENTS
The Post reports that a music industry executive and Tribeca Pointe (41 River Terrace) resident — Adam Lublin — was arrested for entering a neighbor’s apartment while she slept (the door was unlocked) and sexually assaulting her and stealing her underwear (in The Post they are called panties). It took minutes for the building’s security to review the tapes and for the neighbor to recognize him. Since then, a few other neighbors have also come forward with similar stories.

RETAIL VACANCY BLAMED ON A FEW ISSUES
Crain’s dissects Scott Stringer’s report on retail vacancies, which according to him have nearly doubled citywide in 10 years. But what we have seen right here, and what James has noted more than a few times, is it is not just about the retail crisis: “The report also found that rising rents and regulatory hurdles had an impact on retail vacancies. Retail rents rose by 22% on average citywide between 2007 and 2017, with the rate of growth much more rapid in some neighborhoods such as SoHo, were average rents doubled over the time period. The average number of days it takes to get a liquor license is a significant driver of retail vacancy, according to the report. In 2018, liquor license approval times increased citywide from roughly 50 days to about 75 days, an increase of nearly 50%.”

Add that to the gas regulations, construction regulations — just ask any restaurant operator around here who has renovated recently. It is no party.

WEST THAMES BRIDGE IS ARCHITECTURE STANDOUT
Local architecture studio WXY gets mentioned in the Times for its design of the West Thames Bridge as an example of structures that are more porous, more open to the city and its natural environment (what little it has). “This is a very contemporary bridge that boasts a drainage system that flows into a “rain garden” — a state-of-the-art storm water absorption device installed on the median strip below.”

ANOTHER GALLERY HEADING TO US
ArtForum reports that Luhring Augustine is planning to open a new gallery at 17 White Street — in a 3,500-square-foot space to open in early 2020. “The gallery’s inaugural program will include a critical survey of prints by Georg Baselitz, followed by the first major solo exhibition in the US of the late Brazilian-born, London-based artist Lucia Nogueira, and Charles Atlas’s first exhibition in New York since his 2017 presentation of “The Illusion of Democracy” at the Museum of Modern Art.” The gallerists told ArtForum: “We have long been looking for a space in Tribeca where we could join the growing community of notable galleries, both older and younger, in providing a fresh and exciting new context that is rejuvenating the contemporary art scene in New York City. Operating three New York galleries in Chelsea, Bushwick, and Tribeca will allow us to present a diverse sweep of exhibitions, and encourage artists to show their work in distinct environments and areas of the city.”