Last November, the folks who bought Gertel's Bakery on Hester Street went at the classic Lower East Side staple with hammer and tong, turning it into rubble in no times. Their aim: to erect a new 12-story, 27-unit condo tower.
So where's the building? All that's there is the gaping hole they left, and one of the old walls. It might have something to do with two open ECB "Work Without a Permit" violations against the site, according to the DOB website. Apparently, it was a pretty ugly scene on Hester Street last fall.
A hearing regarding the matter was scheduled on July 24. I assume the developers didn't show up, since the hearing status is listed as "default." A fine of $2,500 was also imposed.
A complaint filed on July 25 states: "CONSTRUCTION SITE HAS BEEN LEFT IDLE FOR THE PAST 8 MONTHS DUE TO A DOB S/W/O, SITE IS HAS EXCESSIVE DEBRIS SUCH AS PLYWOOD, SHEETROCK, STOVE, BUCKETS, BRICKS & METAL." The people involved appear to be Chen Engineering Service, AMG Pacific Construction and Michael Kang Architect. Yom Kippur's coming up soon. I think they've all got some things to atone for.
The permit violations may not be the only reason for the lack of progress, the deterioriation in the national real estate market may have made the project uneconomic.
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