Several Lower East Side businesses and some residents are preparing to vacate their premises as developers brace for demolition on three parcels of land associated with the Essex Crossing development project.
City officials notified three businesses and one non-profit organization that they must vacate their properties by next week, the Lo-Down reported. Among the businesses being displaced is Olympic Restaurant, a 35-year-old diner at 115 Delancey Street that has been operating under a month-to-month lease.
And at 400 Grand Street, six families living on the upper floors, as well as the Jewish Conservancy’s visitor center and the owner of a shoe repair shop will be forced to clear out. The city has agreed to give priority status for new affordable apartments to the displace families.
The 1.9 million-square-foot mixed-use project, developed by L+M Development Partners, is part of the Seward Park urban-renewal project. Phase 1 of the project will bring market rate and affordable housing, a branch of the Andy Warhol Museum and a new grocery store, to three former Seward Park urban renewal lots. Demolition of the existing buildings will start in early July, while construction is slated to begin in spring 2015. [Lo-Down] — Sasha von Oldershausen
