Here’ an announcement Councilman Michael Nelson’s staff asked us to make:
Since Councilman Nelson’s district office is still without power or phone service, effective today Councilman Nelson’s staff will temporarily work out of NYS Senator David Storobin’s Office located at 2201 Avenue U. The best and most efficient way to reach the Councilman’s office is by emailing: dgitlin@council.nyc.gov OR mnelson1@council.nyc.gov and if you need to speak with a member of the staff, please include your telephone number. We will do our best to call you back as soon as possible. Please also note that tomorrow we will have an attorney present from CUNY’s free Legal Program to help answer any legal questions you may have.
You can also reach the councilman by calling Storobin’s district office at (718) 743-8610 and asking for a member of Nelson’s staff.
Prince of Pizza at 1101 Avenue U (corner of Coney Island Avenue) has rebranded, according to tipster Pat M, who sent in the above photo. The business is now calling itself Pizza and Chicken Masters.
No, not that Chicken Masters, as in the recently-shuttered Vinnie’s Chicken Masters. In fact, Chicken Masters’ former owner, Vinnie Mazzone, was pretty adamant about that point, noting in an e-mail to us that he had tried to get trademark status on the name but that it was shot down because other businesses had already established similar names – including a Pollo Masters.
It must really suck to be a chicken, the only animal I can think of that is destined for the dinner table in just about every culture. And they’ve got a lot of masters.
Macerich, the mega-sized shopping center real estate company, has just dropped a whopping $751 million dollars in purchasing the Mill Basin based Kings Plaza Mall (5100 Kings Plaza), according a report in the Wall Street Journal.
Compared to some of the more ultra modern and glitzy shopping centers that are currently in vogue across the nation, Kings Plaza falls short, however the prime location and high foot traffic made it an appealing investment.
Because of the difficulty in developing new real estate in a dense city like New York, the threat of competition from new malls is practically nil.
“They’re both in urban or semiurban environments where it would be very difficult to replicate them,” Dan Fasulo, managing director of real estate research company Real Capital Analytics, told the Wall Street Journal. “That creates tremendous scarcity value.”
Kings Plaza also generates $650 per square foot in sales annually, compared to the $370 industry average, a result of New York’s dense population. Even still, Macerich still plans to replace stores with lower revenue streams with higher-end outfits, however no details were given.
In addition to the $751 million spent on Kings Plaza, the Macerich Company also spent $500 million on the Green Acres Mall in Valley Stream, bringing Macerich’s investment total in the area to a staggering $1.25 billion dollars. Both units were owned by Vornado Realty Trust, who intends to leave the mall business altogether.
The long-shuttered Off Track Betting storefronts at 2901 Avenue U will soon have a new tenant: discount savings store Telco.
That should be good news to those who miss Nostrand Avenue’s Dee & Dee, as the companies follow similar models, selling low-cost clothing, housewares and assorted knick knackery.
The opening will mark Telco’s fifth Brooklyn location, and tenth store overall. According to their website, Telco was established in Bensonhurst in 1972, and we at Sheepshead Bites are happy to welcome the latest location of a growing Brooklyn-born chain.
Thanks to John Hampton for the photo, and to all the other readers who tipped us off to this!
Renowned chef, author, and Travel Channel superstar Anthony Bourdain is wrapping up his 50th tour of Planet Earth by landing in Sheepshead Bay.
The Travel Channel just released a preview of the hotly anticipated No Reservations series finale by showing Anthony ordering extra “cheez” for his roast beef sandwich at Roll-N-Roaster (2901 Emmons Avenue).
The clip captures the running gag of New Jersey-born and Manhattan-based Bourdain’s complete ignorance of Brooklyn cuisine, a theme visited many times in the series’ run.
As we reported this June, Bourdain filmed the last scene of the soon to be last episode of the show at Jay and Lloyds at 2718 Avenue U.
Bourdain is famous for visiting every obscure culinary hotspot, from Paris to Mozambique, so as a fan, I admit it’s always exciting to see Bourdain land at a restaurant you’ve actually been too. In fact, its a thrill I’ve personally only gotten to experience once before, during this last season, when Anthony hit Harry’s Cafe de Wheels Famous in Sydney, Australia, an excellent little hot dog and meat pie stand I frequented often in a recent trip.
Albert Gindi, 19, said he made the grim discovery while taking a break from his job at Paramount Decorators, in the strip mall abutting the marina.
“At first I saw the sneakers and that was pretty rough,” he told DNAinfo.com New York. “And then I see a belly. When I looked closer it looked like there was no head, so it’s probably like a mannequin, I thought.
“And then I’m getting closer and I see the head…after that I called 911. I was freaking out.”
The body was “not in the best shape,” according to police. Harbor Police pulled the woman in from one of the marina’s docks, eventually strapping her to a rescue board for removal.
Gindi said the woman had short hair, was wearing a brown hooded sweatshirt, and jeans.
The body was found in the marina behind the strip mall, Kings Plaza and Dolly’s Ices shop – Avenue U near East 57th Street – at approximately 3:20 p.m. Her identity remains unknown.
Police are currently responding to a dead body found in the waters behind Kings Plaza, near East 57th Street and Avenue U, according to a scanner report.
The report came over the air at approximately 3:45 p.m. Harbor units are on the scene to remove the body. Emergency Service Units have also been requested.
This is a breaking news story and may contain inaccuracies. We will update it as more information becomes available. If anyone has more information or additional photos, please send them to tips (at) sheepsheadbites (dot) com.
The individual pictured above is wanted in relation to a bank robbery on Avenue U. The robbery took place on September 18 at approximately 8:30 a.m. The suspect as described as a male in his 20s.
Anyone with information regarding this crime is urged to contact Crime Stoppers. All callers to Crime Stoppers remain anonymous. Crime Stoppers can be reached at 1-800-577-TIPS, via the website, or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577.
A process server representing the owners of a proposed bar and restaurant in Gravesend that was denied a liquor license interrupted Community Board 15′s September meeting last night, serving papers for a $180 million lawsuit that claims the Board conspired to defame the owners, and discriminated against them based on their Russian roots.
Pleasure Island, also known as Galaxy, located at 816 Avenue U, was denied a liquor license by the State Liquor Authority in 2011 – and again by the Community Board earlier this year – after locals learned of plans to reactivate a bar that some said was a hotbed for underage drinking and rowdiness. The lawsuit claims, though, that those neighbors were misled by numerous community leaders in a smear campaign orchestrated by Community Board 15 Chairperson Theresa Scavo, possibly for discriminatory reasons.
“She’s saying these people aren’t Jewish enough,” Susan Bernstein, the plaintiffs’ attorney, told Sheepshead Bites. “She wants what she wants in that neighborhood. A Community Board isn’t a despotic agency that can decide what business can open and close. They spread intentional lies about the two individuals involved.”
The following a press release from the offices of State Senator David Storobin:
As of last month, Brooklynites can enjoy a cleaner Avenue U, thanks to the efforts of State Sen. David Storobin (R-Brooklyn).
After opening his District Office at 22-01 Avenue U in June, the Senator noticed garbage being dumped illegally on the street, which is one of Brooklyn’s most vibrant commercial strips. The Senator reached out to the local DSNY supervisor, requesting that new trash cans be placed on the avenue at strategic locations where dumping had occurred.
“I urge residents to use the new trash cans only for litter from shopping at the wonderful small businesses here on Avenue U,” Storobin said. “By working together, we can keep the street clean for businesses, shoppers and strollers alike.”
Household garbage cannot be placed in the cans, or they may be removed once again.
Wait, did he just threaten us? Well, we hope it works out better than our Garbage Theory…
