Partnership
Activities
AM New York
Spotlights Union
Square |
|
With the Union Square Partnership's assistance,
AM New York's City Living section profiled Union Square
on Thursday, January 12. Noting that "you can find
all manner of goods and services around Union Square,"
the article honed in on "where to eat," "what to see,"
and "where to shop," and included a special feature on
Ken Giddon, owner of Rothman's men's clothing store on
17th and Park Avenue which has been a popular retailer
in the neighborhood since 1986. The article also
highlighted the area's rising residential values and
development and featured a quote from Norman Buchbinder,
President of Buchbinder and Warren, underscoring the
Union Square community's growing appeal. |
Keeping Our
Neighborhood Clean |
As pedestrian traffic and commerce activity
within the district increase, we all need to pitch in to
help maintain our neighborhood's cleanliness. The USP's
sanitation team already collects over 200 bags of trash
off of the streets each day, an increase of over 35% in
the past three years! With the continued
popularity of our neighborhood, it's more important than
ever that we all work together to make sure our
streetscape remains clean. It would be helpful if
property owners, retailers and residents take a look at
their "front yards" and clean up when neccessary. While
our staff is diligently cleaning up the streets - they
can't be everywhere at once. We're all in this together
- let's all take pride in this neighborhood we love so
much.
In related news, Mayor Bloomberg recently
signed a law to combat graffiti by fining property
owners who fail to remove graffiti from their
buildings. The law mandates that owners of
commercial buildings or residential buildings with six
or more units must remove graffiti within 60 days of a
city notice or face a fine of up to $300. Building
owners also can petition the city to remove the graffiti
free of charge. Other laws raise the legal age for
possessing "graffiti instruments," such as spray paint
and etching acid, to 21, up from 18. |
New Partnership
Economic Development Director: Jonathan
Lachance |
|
The
Partnership is delighted to welcome Jonathan Lachance as
its new Director of Economic Development. Jonathan
holds a Master of Urban Planning degree from the
University of Michigan. Prior to joining Union Square
Partnership, he worked for the Department of City
Planning's Queens Office as the principal planner for
the Flushing area. You can look forward to a
series of great events and great ideas from Jonathan and
the Partnership's Economic Development in the near
future. |
WIHS
Students Serve the Community
|
| Washington Irving High School students devoted
part of their recess to community service activities,
sponsored by the Partnership. Participants in the
USP's WIHS After-School Program made holiday cards for
area elderly residents and held a canned food drive that
collected over 100 canned food items for City
Harvest. Many student groups volunteered to help
sort toys for the Children's Hope Foundation Toy
Drive. The Key Club held a coat drive, collecting
over 100 coats for the NY Cares Coat Drive, including 25
donated by NY Eye and Ear Infirmary. |
Neighborhood
News
New Chocolate Store
Perfect For Valentine's
Festivities |
|
Valentine's Day is just around the corner!
A new area confectioner can provide you with delectable
treats for that special someone. Michael Cluizel
has opened his first retail store outside of Paris on
the first floor of ABC Carpet and Home on 888 Broadway
at 19th Street. Made from the finest ingredients,
an array of chocolate bars, bon bons, specialty drinks
and desserts are sure to please. Try one of their
tasting sessions, both indulgent and educational!
You can reach them at 212.477.7335. |
Notable Neighbors
- Meet Harry Saltzman and Barrett
Cobb |
 | A
lifelong New Yorker, Harry Saltzman bought his home on
13th Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues in
1969 when the area was a no man's land. "My
friends told me I was crazy," he recalls. A
musician, Mr. Salzman was attracted to the brownstone's
ample vertical practice space, a requirement for
peaceful cohabitation. He and his wife, Barrett
Cobb, also a musician, are big fans of the USP's work
and the great changes in the neighborhood over the past
three decades. The pair recount tales of a
deteriorating neighborhood in the early 70's with noise
and violence literally on their doorstep. Around
the same time that the Partnership precursor, "Sweet
14," was established to clean up Union Square Park, the
couple was involved in "THREAD," Thirteen Resolved to
Evict All Dealers.
Today, they revel in the
neighborhood's resurgence as they sit on their sunlit
second floor garden patio. Mr. Saltzman is
the family cook and says he handpicks his ingredients
from the area's bounty of fresh food at the Food
Emporium, Whole Foods, Associated, Garden of Eden, and,
of course, the Greenmarket, which he calls "the center
of the community." The Greenmarket also supplies
all of the plants for Mrs. Cobb's spectacular urban
garden. |
East West
Yoga to Open in District |
| Located just off Union Square at 78 5th Avenue,
East West Yoga will be opening its doors to the public
Saturday, January 21st, 2006. To celebrate, they will be
offering free yoga classes all week. With over 80
classes weekly, you can choose from a variety of styles
and levels from the world's most respected
traditions. Visit them during their opening week
and receive personalized guidance on a yoga practice
best suited for your lifestyle from one of our senior
teachers. To view our Grand Opening week class schedule,
visit www.eastwestnyc.com
| |
| Greenwich
Village Orchestra at WIHS |
|
Join the Greenwich Village Orchestra on Sunday,
February 5 at 3:00PM for their Gala Benefit Concert in
support of Washington Irving High School (WIHS). The
program will include the New York City premiere of Joan
Tower's "Made in America" as well as a performance by
world-renown tenor, John Keyes. WIHS student soloists,
chorus and dancers will also be featured. Tickets for
the concert and reception are only $35! For more
information or to buy tickets, visit the Greenwich Village Orchestra
website. |
Neighborhood
News
Good
Neighbor: Whole Foods
|
|
Shop at Whole Foods Market on Union Square South
on Tuesday, January 24, and 5% of all sales will be
donated to the Animal Compassion Foundation. This
non-profit foundation is dedicated to helping producers
raise farm animals naturally and humanely.
Each Whole Foods store gives back
5% of a day's profits to charitable community groups and
organizations several times a year. On
its last 5% day, Whole Foods Market Union Square raised
nearly $9,000 for the Greenmarket, so schedule your next
grocery shopping trip to make a difference. For
more information, visit the Union Square Whole Foods Market's
calendar.
|
Small
Business Success Series |
The fifth in a series of free monthly workshops,
"How to Make Your Business Investor
Friendly," will be held on Thursday,
February 16 from 6:00 to 8:30 PM. The workshops
are sponsored by the U.S. Small Business Administration
and New York's KIP Business Report newspaper to help New
York's small businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs help
start and grow their businesses and are held at 26
Federal Plaza in Room 3305. Future sessions
include "How to Buy a Business," on March 16, and
"How to Find, Hire and Pay Skilled Workers," on April
20. For more information and to register for these
events, please call 212.264.1473 or visit the Kip Business Report
site.
|
Shop Tax
Free! |
The next citywide tax-free shopping week is from
Monday, January 30 through Sunday, February 5. All
purchases under $110 of clothing, footwear, clothing
materials, hats and neckwear, purchased formalwear and
diapers will be tax free all week. Items such as
jewelry and handbags are not tax exempt. For more
information visit the Department of Finance's section of New York City's website.
|
Did You
Know? |
Between 1997 and 2002
less than 12% of $18.8 billion in city contracts were
awarded to businesses owned by women or minorities,
according to a City Council study. In response,
Mayor Michael Bloomberg signed a new law to expand
efforts by the Department of Small Business Services to
certify more minority and women-owned businesses.
As agencies develop goals for increased participation,
the city will issue regular progress reports. This
law is one of 27 business and quality-of-life bills
recently signed by the mayor.
The City's
information and complaint line, 311, logged more than
335,000 noise complaints in Fiscal Year 2005.
Accordingly, a stricter noise code now requires bars and
clubs to keep sound levels below 42 decibels, down from
45 decibels. Police will now measure noise with a
meter before issuing a violation, rather than relying on
their perception. Mayor Mike Bloomberg praised the
law, saying that it "protects New York's legacy as the
'City that never sleeps' while making sure that hard
working New Yorkers can get some peace and
quiet
Additionally, the mayor approved the
creation of a new Business Improvement District in
Flatiron, the Flatiron/23rd Street Partnership, covering
the area along 23rd Street from Third Avenue to Sixth
Avenue. The Partnership welcomes this new addition
to NYC's great BID community!
|
About The Union Square
Partnership
The Union Square Partnership,
a non-profit organization, works to ensure the
community's vibrancy as a center for business, culture
and education and to improve the quality of life for its
residents and businesses, by providing supplemental
public safety, sanitation, business promotion and
economic development services throughout the district.
The Union Square Partnership, comprised of a Business
Improvement District and Local Development Corporation,
facilitates economic development by spearheading
educational, economic development and park projects and
acting as a liaison between community, business and
government leaders.
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