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Image provided by: Jefferson Market Library
r.i DOWNTOWN THEATER: 'Betteand Boo' „ Is Like a TV Sitcom '''tw yoRK PUB, rp ™ BOX na ■ ^^BRflRY NE« VOSK, NV S ” ==™T lis Nine Many on Third Street See Their Hells Angeb As Just Plain Good Neighbors Jim Sheehan Compares Views of Neighbors With Strong Teims of the FBI’s Report, Page 3 Local Board Wants W. Broadway Peddler Ban BY JAMES SHEEHAN What do sidewalk peddlars and MTA substations have in common? They both kept Community Board 2 members up way past their bedtime last week. The two issues, along with regular business and some twelfth hour (literaUy) resolutions were among the business at the local ViUage-Soho board’s regular monthly meeting May ^6., Metropolitan Transportation Authority CB2 committed more than ohce in recent months to detail plans for two above-ground power substations but saw their proposal rejected in tptality by the Community Board last week, most of whose members disagreed so much with the design that they’d prefer to have the structures built under- groifd. The designs for the two stations, one of which would be built at 59 Greenwich Ave (comer of Seventh Ave.) and 19 East Houston (comer of Crosby St.), were presented by architect Paul Veeder whose firm of Michael Lynn and Associates has been contracted by the MTA. According to Veeder, the Houston St. Station would be 22 feet high, unoccupied tVs primaifly for equipment stoiqge]^ and without windows: The proposal also included a dark glazed brick surfacing to negate possible effects of grafitti and would be framed by a green gray c ^ t iron color. \The height aligns it with the top of the cast iron facade in the neighboring building and we are trying to replicate the feeling of Uie cast iron district,” said Veeder. The triangular site, on Seventh and Green wich Avenues (s.snqaifor than'th^ \ni^atoh S t location anAVeedter Mid ^ would therefore.approach somethlngion the order of a four story buildizig with the same glazed brick surface which would be banded at some levels to modify the facade. The facades of both substations, he explained, would be without windows because the exterior walls of the structures are used cable runs. Asked by board members why the substa tions could not be built underground, MTA engineer Mel Vovagroda said the costs would be \astronomical” and said the board’s original suggestion had been that the MTA build above ground on the site. As for the Houston St. substation, Vovagroda said the cost of going underground would \increase in order of magnitude of |1 miUion,” and may not be feasible anyway since the space is already occupied by subway ventilation flues. WORTH THE PRICE CB2 l^andmarks chair Verna Small took issue with the MTA representatives and said she had been previously assured that build ing the substations underground is \techni- caUy feasible but expensive,” and quoted a figure of an extra |500,000 for underground . oppstruction at ,the JSreenwich Ave. site. *When we reflated on it we thought the additional expense should be asked for,” she said. \The architects have tried very hard but the volume of the building and the fact that it is windowless presents them with an insoluble problem.” The majority of board members agreed that the substations, would be difficult to pass off as models of architectural harmony in the historic district. \It looks like a fourstory bunker,” said board member Helen lannello of the Greenwich Ave. proposal. Others, like Arthur Strickler, agreed. \I can’t imagine having a four story wall in the middle of Greenwich Village,” he said. The MTA was asked to return to the board with plans for underground substations. The approved reso lution asked that all future substations in historic districts be similaiiysubteiranean. The question of restricting certain local streets from peddlers brought out a small army of vendors and anti-vendors who lined up to speak at last week’s meeting as they have at CB2 committee meetings and public hearings in recent months. The CB2 Sidewalk Cafe Committee had offered no resolution to the agenda last week due to the lateness of their own'meeting on May 14 at which it was decided that the hour and the importance of the issue offered little chance for fair consideration of the problem. Although the several of the 15 or so board members remaining at the fuU board meet ing after midnight last week felt much the same way, the body did in fact pass a resolution in favor of restricting West Broad way from Canal to Houston Streets to all peddlars. Board member Cannda Piazza, who introduced the late night resolution, also asked the board to vote on restricting Broadway (3rd St. to 9th St.), Astor Place (Broadway to 4th Ave) and University Place (8th St. to 9th St) to peddlars. The board, however, felt disinclined to go Continued on P okc 2 N ^ O roup of Activists Speak Out Against Third Avenue HURise Dorms Community leaders from, the Lower East Side were Joined by public officials, Including Borough President candidate David Dinkins and City Councllmember Miriam Friedlanderd (below) at a rally May 17 on the site of a planned New York University hlgh-rlse’dormltory at Third Ave. and E. 10th St. Led by Rev. David Garica of St. Mark's ' Church, the group was protesting the move, which It says \wlllxirive up commercial rents and drive out people who have Invested their lives In this neighborhood. Where NYU leads, other, greedier i\ developers will follow,” he said. (Vlllager/BIggart
