1) Dried shrimp, excessive traffic and modern appliances are just some of the amenities available as Chinatown's aging housing stock gets a major upgrade. Buildings like Little Chitaly's Hester Gardens are ready for move-in, while five other new developments have recently opened and eight more are planned or already under construction. But at close to $1,000 PSF, some residents ponder if "this is either a renaissance or gentrification to the hilt." What, they're mutually exclusive? [Real Estate: Chinatown/Vivian S. Toy]
2) An apartment hunter with totally unrealistic goals of a moderately priced apartment in Lower Manhattan scores a $640 studio in the LES. What was her method? “It’s pure dumb luck, and I totally recognize that.” [Joyce Cohen/The Hunt]
3) C.J. Hughes takes a tour of 139 Wooster and finds white oak floors, Turkish marble and kitchen cabinets of African wenge. Despite its fancy features, the developer promises, “The units will retain the character of traditional SoHo lofts but you won’t have to take a freight elevator to get to them.” [Posting/C.J. Hughers]
4) Development on the Lower East Side claims another victim as the "Mayor of Clinton Street" is about to be forced to close his "casita," a little house that serves as a clubhouse for older neighborhood men. [Urban Tactics/Steven Kurutz]
5) Is there no pleasing Community Board 1? After working for months with the developer over concerns about The Zinc Building's original design, now they are up in arms over the use of pile driving during construction. The developer states he clearly included pile driving in his proposal plans and insures us he "had no intention to mislead anyone.” The City: Tribeca/Steven Kurutz]