Hell's Kitchen Online 10/20/99

[kitchen]

Hell's Kitchen Online                               10/20/99
http://hellskitchen.net "All the News the Times Won't Print"
------------------------------------------------------------

IN THIS ISSUE...

1. Way Out West!
2. Times Is Said to Consider a New Tower (Times)
3. Report of Move is Un-Times-ly (Post)
4. Who Owns Times Square?
5. Pigeon Problem Cooking in Hell's Kitchen (NY1 News)
6. Why Manhattan Plaza Should Fight COSTCO
7. Committee For Environmentally Sound Development Newsletter

------------------------------------------------------------

WAY OUT WEST!

Reader's Comments:

On Food Emporium

"Thanks for piece on food emporium. The prices in this store are way out of whack. It must be the
most expensive supermarket in the city. I try to limit myself to on sale beans and on sale
bananas...  Why the gouging? It's got to be the location--the high density pop on 43st between
9-11 Avenues is to a large enough degree at their mercy (all else often too far or too difficult a
venture)."

One reader took us to task over the Food Emporium and Costco articles (asking not to be identified
or quoted), the sense of the comment was that the juxtaposition of articles was confusing. We
agree, it was confusing, but makes sense if the issues are better articulated. There's no
disagreement that lower prices are a good thing. The reader feels that Food Emporium can get away
with gouging due to lack of competition in the area. We're not convinced that's the only reason
for the higher prices. Nor do we think that the presence of a Costco would drive prices down.

The reader also feels that complaining about potential traffic jams that Costco could generate
should not necessarily call for demanding parking for Costco customers. In essence (he feels) if
you build the parking lots, then that would ensure out-of-neighborhood traffic would come. He has
a point. A no-parking store might be forced to focus on the community.

The reader also points out that large stores like Costco will have all-night loading docks, and
that would create a nightmare for the NYCHA housing next to the Costco site.

On Mercury Bar

Mercury's Bar's owner, Mario Arcari met with residents of 45th and 46th Street on September 30th
at a mediation session also attended by a Community Board 4 and Midtown Community Court Mediation
Center. Residents explained the largest problems are the noise (both recorded music and crowd
noise), the open doors (noise and customers milling on the sidewalk) and the bright lights making
Ninth Avenue appear like a movie set. Mr. Arcari was instransigent, claiming the lighting was for
security and asked why no one was objecting to lighting on World Wide Plaza (it's about 1/4th as
bright and the three lights at World Wide Plaza cover the entire block, not one storefront). He
said he would explore turning the speakers close to the door inward, but to date he has done
nothing. Later he also said he would put baffles on the lights, but that as well has not been
done.

A reader writes:

"...meeting with Mercury owner is very depressing. Whatever happened to good old kitchen grease
fires???? At the [Community Board] meeting last month I sat there and listened to everyone and all
their complaints about Mercury and all I could think of is that I had been complaining about every
single one of those issues with Luxia for FOUR years and NOTHING has ever gotten any better. These
fucking bar owners don't give a shit about anyone but themselves and their deep pockets. Trying to
get the city agencies to enforce anything is a lesson in complete and total frustration and we all
know about the police. They've probably already got Mercury's menu memorized. I wish I knew what
the answer was."

Sea Breeze Fish Market

Vinnie, the owner of Sea Breeze (541 Ninth Ave.) has purchased Casa Italian Bakery (545 Ninth
Ave.) and is bringing in Italian pasteries, etc. (they can't bake on premises because they need a
new oven).

Truly Way Out West!

Mark Ratto writes us: "I am an Oakland Raiders season ticket holder in California. We have a huge
tailgate party every homegame (20-30 people for the Jets game) and have named our group 'Hell's
Kitchen.' The name is proudly displayed on the huge black awning we have at our party."

Joseph Willey writes: "Just wondering whether you knew what type of building, how big, etc. is
going up at the southeast corner of 8th Avenue and W. 55th Street. It has been a vacant lot for
some time, but in the last few weeks there is a lot of construction activity." We called Community
Board 5 (where the lot is located) and they hadn't the slighted idea what was going on there.

------------------------------------------------------------
TIMES IS SAID TO CONSIDER A NEW TOWER 
New York Times, October 14, 1999
By CHARLES V. BAGLI

The New York Times Company is negotiating with state and city officials to build its third home in
the Times Square area in 94 years, a 1.3-million-square-foot tower on Eighth Avenue, between 40th
and 41st Streets, across the street from the Port Authority Bus Terminal, according to government
officials and real estate executives involved in the talks.

The proposed tower would enable the company to consolidate and modernize its operations, which are
now scattered across six buildings in Manhattan. The company's headquarters are now at 229 West
43d Street, between Broadway and Eighth Avenue.

In what has become a routine bargaining stance for many of the city's largest corporations, The
New York Times has asked government officials for tax breaks and other incentives for the proposed
tower at the Eighth Avenue site, which sits within the borders of the 42d Street Development
Project, a 15-year-old effort to revive the area around Times Square. Otherwise, the company has
insisted that it would have to move some employees to locations outside New York, state and city
officials said.

Deputy Mayor Randy L. Levine did not return telephone calls requesting comment, and a spokeswoman
at the Empire State Development Corporation, Maura Gallucci, declined to comment. Executives with
The New York Times declined to discuss their plans.

"The company regularly looks at alternatives to provide the kind of office space we need for the
future," said Nancy Nielsen, vice president for corporate communications for The Times. "Those
alternatives include a continuing renovation of our current building, as well as moving to new
quarters."

But one government official who has talked with The Times was enthusiastic about the prospect of a
new Times tower. "It would really set the tone for how Eighth Avenue would develop," the official
said.

Even if a deal is struck by the end of the year, construction could not begin until the end of
2000.

More than a half-dozen low-slung buildings now occupying the proposed Eighth Avenue site,
including an adult entertainment shop, a vacant office building and a kung fu video store, would
have to be condemned by the state and demolished to make way for the tower. The tenants would be
relocated.

But the environmental reviews and public hearings have already been completed for the site,
according to state and city officials.

"If it happens, it would be a wonderful development for Eighth Avenue," said Douglas Durst, the
developer who recently completed building the skyscraper 4 Times Square. "With The Times leaving
the area, it will give us the opportunity to rename it Durst Square."

In the last four years, the once seedy district has exploded with billboards, neon and new
construction. Condé Nast recently moved into Durst's new skyscraper on Broadway, between 42d and
43d Streets. Across the street, Reuters and Ernst & Young are building new headquarters.

But the resurgence is only just beginning on Eighth Avenue. Under the original plan for the 42d
Street Development Project, the site on Eighth Avenue at 41st Street was designated for a huge
20-story merchandise mart. But that project succumbed to squabbling among participants and to the
recession in the early 1990's.

This summer, the state was preparing to solicit proposals from developers interested in building
on the parcel when The New York Times Company contacted state officials about building a new
headquarters tower, people involved in the talks said.

In 1994, city officials gave the newspaper more than $29 million in tax breaks and other
incentives to build a new printing plant at College Point, Queens. City and state officials expect
that The Times will be asking for a far greater sum this time.

The new headquarters would become the company's third home in Times Square.

In 1905, Adolph S. Ochs, then the publisher, moved The Times to a new tower on 42d Street in the
center of what was then called Longacre Square, a rough-and-tumble intersection of bawdy houses
and prostitutes. He persuaded the Mayor, George B. McClellan, to build a subway stop there and to
rename the area Times Square. The tower, now known as 1 Times Square, which is the site of the New
Year's Eve ball drop, served as the newspaper's home until 1913, when most operations moved to an
annex at 229 West 43d Street.

In 1997, the company shut down the presses on 43d Street and moved some printing operations to a
new plant at the College Point location. In recent years, the company is said to have spent tens
of millions of dollars renovating its 43d Street headquarters.

But, according to real estate executives, the company has decided that because of technological
demands and expanded operations, it would be better off in a new skyscraper.

According to government officials, executives from The Times told them that they would rather not
adhere to several requirements for projects in the redevelopment district: neon lights and
billboards on the sides of the building and entertainment-related tenants on the ground floor.

------------------------------------------------------------
REPORT OF MOVE IS UN-TIMES-LY 
New York Post, October 15, 1999
By BRADEN KEIL 

All the rumors that're fit to print. The New York media world is scratching its head in disbelief
over a New York Times story about itself that the paper's own brass refused to confirm.

The article in question said the media giant was considering building a new headquarters across
the street from the Port Authority Bus Terminal. And the company still isn't ready to confirm its
own story.

"The company is always looking at alternatives," said Nancy Nielsen, vice president for corporate
communications. But, when pressed on whether a deal was, indeed, in the works, she stated: "There
is nothing on the horizon at this point."

According to the Times story, The New York Times Co. is negotiating to build a 1.3
million-square-foot tower on Eighth Avenue, between 40th and 41st streets. Representatives from
the city and state - who are also reportedly involved in the talks - declined comment.

However, one source familar with the situation told The Post: "The discussions are at a very early
stage and could [end] at any time." Whether the Times jumped the gun or not, employees at the Old
Gray Lady are cheering the possibility of moving out of their dingy, overcrowded 94-year-old
headquarters.

"Pardon the pun, but it's about time. [The building] is depressing, old, and it creaks," said a
Times employee. The present Times operation is strewn throughout six buildings in Manhattan, with
its hub located at 229 W. 43rd St., between Broadway and Eighth Avenue.

The proposed plan calls for modernization and consolidation of operations, but construction would
not begin until the end of 2000. "We're literally busting at the seams," said one Times insider.
"We're practically on top of each other." One worker told The Post: "There are fruit flies
constantly buzzing around the newsroom ... all year. If it does happen, it will be the third move
for the paper in its history. The first building, at 1 Times Square - which was the newspaper's
home until 1913 - is the site of the New Year's Eve ball drop.

Separately, New York Times Co. said third-quarter profit rose 15 percent, lifted by higher
newspaper advertising sales and lower newsprint prices. Profit from operations rose to $63.5
million, or 36 cents a share, from $55 million, or 29 cents, a year earlier. Revenue rose 6.9
percent to $729.7 million from $682.7 million.

------------------------------------------------------------
WHO OWNS TIMES SQUARE?
by Bruce Levine

In this media age and age of media exploitation MTV seems to have taken the concept of
exploitation to the extreme by reducing the streets of NYC to their own private access for their
private events and enlisting NYC itself into becoming a part of this self-centered, self-promoting
megalithic monster.

In recent days the NYPD has enforced a no-crossing zone to pedestrians on Broadway to accommodate
MTV.  Traffic jams have forced vehicles to sit and wait, including people trapped in taxi cabs,
with the meter running, and "not allowed" to exit that taxi because the NYPD has refused to allow
the passenger to open the cab door during the MTV event.

The no-crossing zone has caused residents to be refused to be allowed to cross Broadway to go
shopping on the east side of the MTV field of influence.  The ramifications of this type of media
hype makes it difficult, if not impossible, for residents and tourists alike and for businesses to
ply their trade causing a loss of revenue to anyone without the hype value of MTV. When did MTV
become the single entity ruling the streets in Times Square area?  Why is the NYPD enforcing
Marshall Law on pedestrian and vehicular traffic? While the teen market may be able to influence
commerce to go to the lengths it has and empowered MTV to wield the kind of influence it does on
the City it's time for City Officials to take a long, hard look on the contraindications created
by such influence.

------------------------------------------------------------
PIGEON PROBLEM COOKING IN HELL'S KITCHEN 
New York One Cable News, 9/22/99

There's a controversy brewing in Hell's Kitchen Wednesday over a couple of hundred pigeons.

Sally Andrews, a resident of the area, scatters feed every morning and hundreds of pigeons flock
in for the free meal which costs her $150 per week. Andrews has been doing it for more than a year
- ever since she says a film company abandoned the birds, leaving many of them sick and dying.

"I just know that it's a great feeling seeing birds that were starving and in bad shape to now
being plump and not sick at all," says Andrews.

But area residents aren't too happy about the feedings. The birds may be healthy, but many people
fear they'll get sick from them.

Amy McLeod, who also lives in the area, says, "I walk by here every morning and people literally
need to walk on the other side of the street to avoid them because they're all over. They leave a
huge mess on the sidewalk and you really can't avoid them."

The Department of Health says there aren't any codes specifically preventing pigeon feeding, but
promises to look into the case.

In the meantime, anyone with complaints can call the Health Department at (212) 442-9666.

------------------------------------------------------------
WHY MANHATTAN PLAZA SHOULD FIGHT COSTCO
Opinion, by MPTA Vice President BRUCE LEVINE

COSTCO, the chain of bulk quantity food stores, wants to open three stores in Manhattan. Of the
three the store on 55-56 Streets and 10th Avenue will affect Manhattan Plaza most detrimentally
although all three would seriously impact the West Side.

At 55th to 56th Streets and 10th Avenue COSTCO wants to open a 75,000 square foot store. They
estimate that that will require 10 to 15 tractor trailer trucks per week for deliveries and it's
estimated that $1 million per week of sales will be needed to be profitable.

As COSTCO sells by bulk, it would require a vehicle to cart purchases away and COSTCO has not
announced any plans for parking. The impact on traffic will be monumental!

55th and 56th Streets are major arteries to the West Side Highway so if they're inundated, the
logic is that 43rd and 44th Streets, already more like the Indianapolis Speedway than New York
City residential streets, will be the next cross-streets of choice.

THE ROAD TO ST. LUKES/ROOSEVELT

Ten to fifteen tractor trailer loads plus the cars backed up while loading continues will block
10th Avenue so don't get sick and look for an ambulance to St. Lukes/Roosevelt because you're more
likely to arrive DOA than get through traffic.

In addition COSTCO is a non-union shop and does not take Food Stamps.

And then there's the storage problem - since it's only by the case where could any significant
assortment of products be stored? How many cases could fit in an apartment, unless they're put in
the center of the room, covered with tablecloths and used as furniture?

Yes, the per case is lower, but don't forget the $40.00 annual membership!

And don't forget the small stores that we're all so used to and that help make it our neighborhood
that will be forced out of business by the ever increasing rents that stores like COSTCO will help
precipitate, reinforcing landlord greed.

Having a COSTCO may look good at first, but remember the down side! Think of the traffic! Think of
the $40.00 membership! Think of the by the case only and the storage problems! Think of the impact
on real estate in Hell's Kitchen and how it will affect Manhattan Plaza in the long run! Think of
the non-union status and no Food Stamps! Think of how it could cost you your life stuck in an
ambulance trapped in traffic!

------------------------------------------------------------
COMMITTEE FOR ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND DEVELOPMENT INC.
(CESD concentrates its activities on the Upper West Side)
From: Elfreud@aol.com
October 11, 1999

Dear Friends,

Sometimes lost in the details of a flawed Environmental Impact Statement, legal interpretations of
laws and maneuvering in the courts is the broader rationale for our outcry against these enormous
structures.  Human activity in general and overdevelopment in particular are causing all kinds of
global catastrophes.  As Bill McKibben so effectively enumerated in his op-ed piece in the New
York Times, Sept. 4, l999:

"Spring comes a week earlier across the Northern Hemisphere than it did just 30 years ago. Severe
rainstorms have grown by almost 20 percent, precisely what you'd expect on a planet where warmer
air can carry more water vapor. A Navy sonar survey conducted this summer shows that the Arctic
ice sheet is in many places 40 inches thinner than its normal 10 feet.  Warmer waters have
bleached coral reefs around the globe.  Glaciers are melting.  Sea levels are rising."

To those in the immediate area it is traffic congestion, air pollution, shadows, windtunnels,
asthma and lately an infestation of mosquitoes that directly effects us because of overdevelopment
and global warming.  The Island Nations of the World in a special session of the General Assembly
of the United Nations aired their fears that recent climate changes are causing the sea to invade
their small low-lying territories

What can those of us acutely aware of the problem do to raise public awareness? In our case it is
a lawsuit against a 75-story behemoth on Columbus Circle or a 90 story one on First Avenue or air
rights on 8th Avenue or 40 story superstructures over the YMCA or the replacement of a small
museum by a glitzy hotel.

Each of these assaults on our environment has to be opposed even by going to the Supreme Court if
necessary.  Unfortunately we can not reverse the process of global warming but at least we must
not accelerate it. If our air quality is now classified as non-attainment for levels designated by
the Federal EPA, we can insist that no more pollutants be added.

UPDATE

Coliseum and 10 Columbus Center

Our two lawsuits, the one in the State Court on the inadequacy of the Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) and lack of any Uniform Land Use Review Process (ULURP) will now have to be heard
in the Appellate Division of the State Courts.  The second in Federal Court brought under the
Clean Air Act is waiting a date for oral argument.  State Judge Paula Omansky completely
disregarded our arguments on non-attainment of Federal standard of air quality, the lack of air
quality measurements at congested intersections and the City's control of the property.  She
simply repeated the evasive arguments made by the MTA.  For example, the Jazz Center will not
significantly increase traffic over and above the increase due to the 75 story (752 foot) 2.1
million square foot.  behemoth proposed for the site. It has to be obvious to every New Yorker
that traffic doesn't move and that air quality is causing asthma and breathing problems.  It is
frightening how the simple logic of ceasing the process of adding more pollutants and congestion
to an already overdeveloped area can be so evaded.  What we need is more awareness and outrage on
the part of the public. Perhaps we need more lawsuits at the Supreme Court level or a class action
suit by sufferers of asthma against the government for not protecting their air quality as the
Clean Air Act requires.

There are many levels to winning this case. The best would be simply to stop demolition and
continued use of the building as it is.  The second would be a smaller building.  The third is
delay.  A year or two or three of not having to live with the proposed monster, that would also be
the end of this particular project.

90 Story Tower on 1st Avenue and 47th Street

The Board of Standards and Appeal voted to allow Donald Trump to construct the 862-foot behemoth,
which the neighborhood so vehemently opposes.  The Coalition for Responsible Development will have
to sue in court in order to modify the size of the structure. A building of such enormous height
is severely out of context with the neighborhood and will bring increased traffic and air
pollution to an area currently suffering from these ills.

YMCA on West 63rd Street

Oral argument was heard on October 5 before the Appellate Division. Charles Knapp very ably
questioned the merits of a Special Permit given in 1989 to conditions that now exist in 1999. The
Judges seemed receptive to the argument. We now await their decision.

ABOUT THE CULPRITS

Below is a memorable quotation made by Andrew Eristoff, the Republican Councilman who recently
resigned from the City Council.

"The entire land-use process in this town is as close to organized corruption as anything after
the rules on municipal bond sales. It is entirely developer driven, the development community runs
land use in this town. The complexity facilitates it. It opens the doors for lawyers and
accountants to control the process"

In the lead of developers who are leaving their horrific imprint on the New York City cityscape is
Donald Trump. This is a man of questionable intellect and character, and unquestionable vulgar
taste whose hubristic* instincts makes him think he is presidential material.  Among his most
memorable quotes in a New York Times interview  (9/25/99) is his criticism of President Clinton's
behavior in the White House. " It was his choice. It was Monica." If Mr. Clinton had confessed to
a relationship with a supermodel, not an intern, "…he would have been everybody's hero"

Almost every elected official has received campaign contributions from Trump as well as from other
high profile developers in New York City. How dangerous it is to live in a society where money and
greed can determine the activities and direction of the most important aspects of life even to the
detriment of health.

*It might be of interest to the reader to know that word hubris and chutzpah have the same
linguistic roots.