Fortunately (Or sadly unfortunately) - I would venture to say that well over 1/2 of these units will not have full time residents. A lot of the owners will be foreign buyers or out of towers and will barely be there let alone hang laundry off their balconies. At this price point rest assured that all laundry will be done "off site" Tribeca keeps gaining expensive luxury apartments and commercial spaces without a large enough year round population of consumers to help support them. Would be great if more of the people who owned these apartments actually spent time in them, and were around to visit stores and restaurants and help support local businesses. As Erik has documented in the past few months have been a slew of local businesses closing down. This threatens the vibrancy of our neighborhoods and the cultural heritage that is New York. Would be nice if this could be turned around somehow. — Rohin on Seen & Heard: Two Pizza Recommendations

But I want a Fairway Market! Far more than a new bank! — Liat on In the News: Hopes Dim for Fairway Market

I saw you at the Dairy Bar too! Gay fellows know their tools. — Higgs Merino on A Tribeca Pioneer’s Tale

Yes Delphi had that outdoor shed since the 1970's. I believe that was grandfathered into Super Linda. Now will the outdoor table space in front of the now closed Josephine be granfathered in or can we enjoy sitting on our benches near where the tables were again in peace? — CHR$ on A Permanent Sidewalk Hog Just Got Approved Despite Community Objections

Dear Citizen, Thanks for putting up photos from Doors, NYC taken by my late husband Roy Colmer. He died in Los Angeles 1/24/14. We lived on Walker Street (near Church Street) for many years in a loft, moving 12/2002. He first moved to Walker Street in the late 1960's when just artists lived there. — claudia colmer on Tribeca Doorways in 1975 and 1976

That 56 Leonard building is going to be the fugliest building in the city. Already looks like a cheap Marbella housing block. Bet people are hanging their washing over the balconies within six months. — Andy on Seen & Heard: Two Pizza Recommendations

1. The seizure of New York's public sidewalk space for private profit purposes is enshrined in a modification to the zoning code. That modification (Section 14-4) was done by the staff in the City Planning office in the 1970's without meaningful community input. The date of that section of the zoning code also predates Tribeca's renaissance as a residential neighborhood. The content of it hands all of Tribeca over to sidewalk cafes without any local ability to challenge. Many other neighborhoods have the same problem, Soho excepted. The rules only subject a cafe owner to some minor technical issues about sidewalk width. A tiny saving grace is that if the sidewalk is inside a historic district, the LPC must also regulate any cafes. Alas, the sidewalk cafe in this article is not in any of Tribeca's historic district (although it should be). 2. If Tribecans want greater control over their sidewalks, public spaces, and character of their neighborhood, they need to very noisy about demanding important and essential zoning changes. We urgently need a lot of changes anyway as the zoning code has obviously failed the broader neighborhood. We need height restrictions, greater definition for the word "contextuality", and likely a conversion to "residential" status which would give our neighborhood a huge amount of protection from crazy visions that Big Real Estate has for us. I would add the sidewalk cafe issue onto the list of zoning changes that Tribeca very much needs. 3. Community Boards are treated by politicians as advisory extensions of government. They can only fight so much. The chair of another community board once told me cynically "they are shields for politicians." The boards have no power, no real authority, and do not in a meaningful democratic sense represent the broad community, despite the many hardworking and well-intentioned volunteers who give of their time. My personal view (not that of Tribeca Trust) is that we need NY City Charter revision to first make community boards elected bodies, and subsequently to give them greater power over Land Use and the ULURP process, a suggestion zoning people rebel against - they consider citizens broadly speaking to just be "Nimby's" rather than people who actually care about the places they live in. 4. This particular sidewalk cafe will further harm our case to get that area designated as part of Tribeca East Historic district. It is a kind of "death by a 1000 cuts to the historical character of that block, a death literally watched over by the LPC who knows very well our about request to include those blocks as a way to restore and maintain the sense of place there. 5. As a way forward, I should mention that Tribeca Trust has consulted some very well-known zoning consulting firms and we have a proposal on the table to study a rezoning for Tribeca with more widespread community input than is typical. It does require money and at present most of our resources are devoted to the problem of historic district expansion. Anyone feeling generous? — Lynn Ellsworth on A Permanent Sidewalk Hog Just Got Approved Despite Community Objections

aaaah nooooo. So sad to hear this. Always an amazing experience shopping there. — Frances F on Maslow 6 Is Closing

As a new-comer to New York (I arrived in 1986) I'm honoured and thrilled that you would share this with me. Your unique biography is an extraordinary insight into what it was like to be an artist, 45 years ago in the greatest city in the world. Thank you!! — Debbie Holland on A Tribeca Pioneer’s Tale

Yes — Jim Smithers on In the News: Campbell Brown

Most importantly Erik, is that Today Show segment with you available online somewhere? — Nicole V on In the News: Campbell Brown

And ... will not divulge their identity. Is that you, Mike or Randy? — Jim Smithers is my hero on In the News: Campbell Brown

Very sad to hear this! — Liat on Maslow 6 Is Closing

Got to be cheaper than in-your-face-storefront commercial rent and real property tax. — TOM on A Permanent Sidewalk Hog Just Got Approved Despite Community Objections

Extend the sidewalks? Or better yet, lets pedestrianize more streets. — New Yorker on A Permanent Sidewalk Hog Just Got Approved Despite Community Objections

This is only the Progressive thing to do. Since Community Boards are only half controlled by the Council Members, they need to go, or be bypassed. The Boro Prez who appoints half is so 'boomer', so old-ways. Although Boards are established with powers and responsibilities in the City Charter, we'll set up own own unofficial alternatives: Participatory Budgeting Process and Discretionary Funding. Each promises small cash rewards for allegiance to the CM alone. — TOM MURPHY on A Permanent Sidewalk Hog Just Got Approved Despite Community Objections

This is beyond a bummer. Keri, Ken and the entire crew provided the most delightful wine shopping experience in the city. Just a terrible loss for our neighborhood. — Alan on Maslow 6 Is Closing

Isn't Super Linda's shed the one that the prior restaurant, Delphi, used for decades? That's my memory of the space. if so, what's the big deal about it? The new shed is another story entirely. — A. on A Permanent Sidewalk Hog Just Got Approved Despite Community Objections

What about the car parked on the sidewalk? Why is that allowed? — Steve on A Permanent Sidewalk Hog Just Got Approved Despite Community Objections

http://www.tribecatrib.com/content/tribeca-restaurateur-cries-foul-over-rejection-sidewalk-seating-0 [June 2012] The Tribeca Committee’s policy regarding cafes on side streets goes back as far as current staff can remember, CB1 Community Liaison Andrew Brockman said, but the results have been inconsistent based on a variety of factors. Some sidewalk seating predates the policy, he said, and the Department of Consumer Affairs’ can approve an application regardless of the board’s recommendation. The community board’s approval is one of several factors considered by the city. In most instances, the department favors approval, regardless of a negative vote by the community board, CB3 District Manager Susan Stetzer said. “The Department of Consumer Affairs is going to approve it anyway,” said Stetzer, adding that her board was only able to secure a denial from the DCA in an instance where the operator had been causing problems in the neighborhood. “They absolutely won't support any denials.” — James on A Permanent Sidewalk Hog Just Got Approved Despite Community Objections

From the NYC dept of consumer affairs (DCA) sidewalk cafe license application packet available online: "Sidewalk Café Applicant Fees [...] o Two-year License Fee: $510 o Fee for starting, renewing, or assigning DCA consent for all sidewalk café types: $445 o Consent Fees for sidewalk space to be paid each year. Please refer to the Consent Fees Charts (attached). o Plan Review Fee for Unenclosed and Small Unenclosed Sidewalk Café Applicants: $310 [...] o City Planning Fee for Enclosed Sidewalk Café Applicants: $55 per seat with a $1,360 Minimum [...] 2013 CONSENT FEES FOR STREET SPACE For Unenclosed and Small Unenclosed Sidewalk Café Zone 1: Manhattan – Southern tip to 96th Street Minimum consent fee is $2,401.84 with $37.53 added for each additional square foot [in excess of 70 sq ft] [...] 2013 CONSENT FEES FOR STREET SPACE For Enclosed Sidewalk Café Zone 1: Manhattan – Southern tip to 96th Street Minimum consent fee is $4,803.68 with $37.53 added for each additional square foot [in excess of 70 sq ft]" — James on A Permanent Sidewalk Hog Just Got Approved Despite Community Objections

So what's the purpose of CB1? Can we just bypass them and go directly to the City Council? — Jim Smithers on A Permanent Sidewalk Hog Just Got Approved Despite Community Objections

We got FIOS... Not due to any special effort or privilege. I think it mostly has to do with the backbone being available near your building. If it is, and you prove a need and a demand they tend to go ahead and run the last 200 ft of wire to your building. I.e if a building next to you has FIOS then it is relatively easy to get yours wired up too. If not, then you probably have a wait ahead while they get the underlying infrastructure ready and in place — Rohin on Nosy Neighbor: What’s Getting Built Now at Canal and Varick?

I'd love that, too. Wasn't it in Verizon's contract with the city that Manhattan was supposed to be wired up with fios by the end of 2014? I'd love to know how to get it in my building. I haven't figured it out. — KP on Nosy Neighbor: What’s Getting Built Now at Canal and Varick?

I am assuming they have to pay rent to the city for the space? Where does that money go? Could it be funneled to that neighborhood to support parks or increased amenities in public areas to make up for the stolen- I mean rented- public sidewalk? And what about sidewalk cafes- do they also pay a large amount for the privilege of taking over the sidewalks to increase their profit margins? Don't get me wrong, I enjoy having a nice drink outside as much as the next person, but some streets are too clogged. For instance, navigating Greenwich from Jay to North Moore in the summer requires a lot of patience and fancy footwork to make it through the maze unscatheed. — Robert Ripps on A Permanent Sidewalk Hog Just Got Approved Despite Community Objections