Hudson Related's David Kramer Provides RIOC With Update On Roosevelt Island Main Street Retail Progress - Arcade Transformation, Window Removal, Trellis Renovation, Public Library Lease, Signage & More
During April 2 Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) Real Estate Advisory Committee meeting (audio web cast of meeting is here), Roosevelt Island Main Street Master Leaseholder Hudson Related's David Kramer provided an update on Main Street retail retail progress.
Mr. Kramer reported that the big news is that Hudson Related will immediately begin to:
... transform the Arcade Experience with wood ceiling, different light fixtures and opening up the space... provide some lighting for the signage...Here's Mr. Kramer on the Arcade Transformation.
Later in the meeting Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) Retail Subcommittee Chair Susan Marcus asked Mr. Kramer what the best strategy would be to fight him on removing the Westview Arcade Windows. After some laughter Mr. Kramer jokingly suggested some
... Civil Disobedience...and then stated his long held position for removing the Arcade windows:
... we need the approval of the building owner and to the extent the building owner doesn't grant the approval, that would stop us in our tracks us and that would be a huge mistake...Here's Mr. Kramer on the removal of window arcades.
...I would suggest you and your band of advocates wait until you see how it looks at Eastwood... I have never been particularly swayed by the argument that the diagonally slanting rain needs to be protected by intermittent window panels where there is space in between where there isn't window panels and at some point you leave the Arcade and then you are not protected at all...
... I encourage you guys to have an open mind before you hold rallies in front of Westview owners residence to take a look at how it turns out at Eastwood...
Ms. Marcus provides this summary of Mr. Kramer's full presentation.
- construction on new lights and wood ceilings should begin very soon
- lights will be put behind signs
- signs must be same shape but store owner can use own colors and designs
- Eastwood is being insulated
- empty store front windows will have new film put on them like the deli
- Trellis' plans were rejected because they went beyond the actual store to the street. H/R is giving Trellis generous amount of time to come up with new plans.
- New Market will be opening soon. What soon is was unclear.
- Liquor store has license but will not be worked on until market is open
- Library lease is moving forward but still an issue with windows at 504. Lease has yet to be signed.
- H/R is willing to partition the top of 504
- Kiosks are still in the planning stage. H/R is thinking of using a vendor the city is using. Will be fancy electronic ones. Not sure about concrete ones that we are using now. May take a handful of years to install the new electronic ones.
- a bakery may be close to signing a lease
- Hardware store is still in the middle of a slow eviction process
- No news on Thrift Store and is not a big concern of H/R at this time.
3 comments :
The chances of the stores opening anytime this year is slim.
Interesting that Eastwood is being insulated. This must be part of the effort to fulfill the energy-saving/efficiency requirements prior to implementing sub metering.
funny its still being called eastwood not roosevelt landings. thats because . it will always be eastwood.the name may have cha
ged for some.but for us oldtimers it will always be eastwood
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