2015 A publication of the Murray Hill Neighborhood Association Murray Hill No. 3 …to continue to make Murray Hill a highly desirable place to live, work and visit. ife Winter MHNA Quality of LifeL Forum and General Meeting Held on October 8 The general meeting of The Murray Hill Neighborhood As- sociation provided a good opportunity for members to get updates on many of the issues of the past year. Guest speak- ers included local government officials and representatives from the New York City Department of Design and Con- struction and the New York Police Department. Homelessness Unsolicited phone calls requesting money, personal information, In response to numerous community complaints about donations, or debt collections are often scams. If you believe you have been a victim of a scam, please call the District Attorney’s homeless activity, the Department of Homeless Services has Elder Abuse Hotline at 212-335-9007. announced plans to change the clientele for the 30th Street Men’s Shelter, which serves as an intake center. While it will Construction on 34th Street remain an intake center, the goal is to fill the 850-bed shelter The East 34th Street Transitway Project is on schedule to be com- with individuals who are employed or are considered to be pleted in Fall 2016. Emily Campbell, Community Construction employable. Other individuals will be transferred to various Liaison for the project, updated residents on the status of con- locations throughout the shelter system. DHS is looking to struction. The scope of the project includes replacement of in- frastructure, such as trunk and distribution water mains, sewer implement these changes by the end of the year, which should mains, catch basins, street lighting, traffic signals and roadway result in fewer quality of life issues in our neighborhood. reconstruction. Upon completion, residents will notice improve- Councilmember Rosie Mendez reminded residents to call ments in crosstown bus service, along with expanded sidewalks 911 if they observe illegal activity, or to improve pedestrian flow and allow for growth. see someone in danger to themselves The work completed to date includes distribution water main in- or others. This includes public lewd- stallation, except at the intersections of Second Avenue and East ness or other inappropriate behavior. 34th Street and Third Avenue and East 34th Street. The work re- Residents are urged to call 311 for maining includes trunk water main installation on Second and individuals who may be in need of Third Avenues between East 33rd Street and East 35th Street, and sewer installation at the intersection of East 34th Street and First mental health services, but are not Avenue. Bus bulb installation and roadway restoration will be in immediate danger. When calling, done after the utility work is complete. If you have any questions you may request to speak directly to or concerns about the construction, please email us at info@ social service providers. Trained pro- murrayhillnyc.org. Councilmember Rosie fessionals from Common Ground or Continued on page 18 Mendez the Bowery Residents Coalition will respond. Key phrases such as “street homeless” or “homeless Murray Hill Demographics outreach” will ensure that the street outreach teams receive the complaint. Complaints about homeless encampments 52,624 Residents will be directed to NYPD. For more information about 8,054 Families (children living at home) homelessness, please visit the Resources pages of our web- Median age: 33 site and search for “homeless.” 6% Work at Home 45% Use Public Transportation Phone Scams Targeting Seniors 44% Walk or Bike The New York County District Attorney’s office is warning se- 58% Have a 4-Year College Degree niors of unsolicited phone calls requesting personal informa- tion. Illeana Mendoza, Community Coordinator for the District 16% Have a Graduate Degree Attorney’s office, urged seniors to hang up immediately if they We pay $52,471,800 in Real Estate Taxes receive phone calls stating a family member is being held hos- On the same latitude as Madrid and Beijing tage or has been arrested and needs money as soon as possible. President’s Corner Murray Hill By Diane Bartow, President, MHNA As the holiday season is upon us, we find ourselves reflecting on the past year and ife on those who helped us shape The Mur- ray Hill Neighborhood Association. We L value our relationship with our mem- A publication of the bers, merchants and friends and look Murray Hill Neighborhood Association forward to working with each and every Board of Trustees one of you in the coming year. President: Diane Bartow I sincerely wish you a Happy Holiday Vice Presidents: Susan Demmet, Thomas Horan, season and a New Year filled with peace, Matthew Roberts, Marion Weingarten prosperity, good health, happiness, Treasurer: Barbara Sagan green trees and tulips. Wreath in Murray Hill Secretary: Deborah Farone I hope you will join us on December 6, Trustees 2015 at the MHNA holiday festivities to Fred Arcaro, Stein Berre, John B. Chadwick, Jr., Ann Churchill, Rory S. Clark, Marea Edynak, celebrate the joys of the season. I look forward to seeing you there. Mieko Kojima, Gwen Paness, Anoop Punjabi, Anne Marie Salmeri, Nancy Idaka Sheran, Elaine Silber, Anthanette (Toni) Wilson, News from MECA Marshall Wise Manhattan East Community Association Honorary Trustees By Fred Arcaro, MECA President Joelle Anderson, Robert Cohen, Joe W. Di Domenico, Irma Worrell Fisher, Paula Hutter Gilliam, Construction for the JDS Development Group’s two-building project, lo- Ellen Imbimbo, Enid Klass, Shirley Mac Leod, Debra Moolin, Ellen H. Propp cated at 626 First Avenue, is progressing as scheduled. The second build- Past Presidents ing’s construction is now past the 20th floor. The first building’s (a 47-story Ed Hochberg, Mark Tracten, Stephen Weingrad residential building) copper and glass facade is progressing fast, reaching the Newsletter Staff Editor: Nancy Idaka Sheran Co-Editor: Maura Greenwood Editorial Consultant: Ellen Propp Advertising: Nancy Idaka Sheran Online Edition: Nancy Idaka Sheran & Jon Gilbert Design & Production: Hilary Black Save the Date! Murray Hill Neighborhood Association Sunday, December 6 Post Office Box 1897 New York, NY 10156-1897 212-886-5867 Join your neighbors for Send letters to the editor or story ideas to [email protected] The Murray Hill Neighborhood Association and please use the subject line Tree Lighting “Murray Hill Life”. Menorah Lighting Holiday Party Look for future mailings with details. 2 Winter 2015 Murray Hill Neighborhood Association [email protected] 212-886-5867 20th floor. Images of the construction. The MHNA Welcomes New Trustees! Nothing new to report on the Solow project located on First The Murray Hill Neighborhood Association welcomes new Avenue between 38th and 41st Street. However, Mr. Solow Trustees: Stein Berre, Rory Clark, Gwenn Paness and Caryn did file building plans to the Department of Buildings for Williams. And the MHNA extends thanks to leaving Trust- 685 First Avenue, which is the west side of First Avenue, be- ees for their contributions to the Association: Daniel Egers tween 39th and 40th Street. and Ashley Petrylak. Deborah Farone will be assuming the Major construction is completed at the Waterside Pier (the role of Secretary. old Con Edison pier located between 38th and 41st Street). For a full list of Officers and Trustees please visit the MHNA What is needed is to complete its waterfront amenities website. which, as of this writing, are not started. The new pier will have a bike path that will connect the future north and south Active Past Trustees Honored directional bike paths. Hopefully, construction of the new Ellen Propp, Bob Cohen and Joelle Anderson were honored pier will be completed at the end of 2015. as active past trustees at The Murray Hill Neighborhood As- The owner of Rivergate presented the plan to redesign its sociation General Meeting on October 8. They all have given open space, located on First Avenue between 34th and 35th many years of service to the community in many capacities, Street, to the Land Use and Waterfront Committee of Com- and continue to be actively involved in the Association. We munity Board Six in the fall of 2014. The plan was rejected are grateful for their dedication! by the LU&W Committee and CB6. However, I, being a member of CB6, was in the minority that liked the plan. After, a number of meetings between CB6 and the Depart- ment of City Planning, adjustments have been made, which resulted in the DCP approving the revised plan. However, some members of the LU&W Committee still did not like the plan, and had the opinion that the DCP did not follow the law in approving the revised plan. They wanted to invoke an Article 78 against the DCP. Winter wreaths in Murray Hill What is an Article 78 Proceeding? An Article 78 proceeding is used to appeal the decision of a New York State or local agency to the New York courts. The LU&W Committee passed a resolution by a vote of 7 to 6 to request the DCP to withdraw its approval of the modi- fied plan for the Rivergate plaza. I am happy to write that the Committee’s resolution was defeated at a full board meeting of Community Board Six, by a vote of 17 to 11 with 2 ab- stentions. With that last obstacle out of the way, the revised modification to the Rivergate Plaza can proceed, hopefully this winter or early next year. There is a proposed new 65-story (700 foot tall) slender (1,800 sq. ft. footprint) condo tower, designed by Perkins+Will, to be located at 12 or 8 East 37th Street. A Turkish firm Nef (part of Timur Holding) has yet to file plans with the De- partment of Buildings, but hope to start construction to be completed by 2017.