Mayor Urged To 'Restart The Dialogue' To Reclaim E Village School

EAST VILLAGE, NY — A year after announcing plans to reclaim a long-vacant East Village schoolhouse, local elected officials are pushing the de Blasio administration to "restart the dialogue" to acquire the E. Ninth Street building.

Mayor Bill de Blasio told a packed crowd at an October, 2017 town hall — shortly before the mayoral election — that the city planned to reacquire the 605 E. Ninth Street building, which was a community center before it was auctioned by the city 20 years ago to current owner Gregg Singer.

The mayor stayed mum on the matter for several months until August when he told The Villager that despite trying to have a "productive conversation" with the building's owner that he "has been exceedingly uncooperative.” Singer vehemently denied the charge and said that the mayor's office hadn't even reached out to him to negotiate a sale.

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The coalition of elected officials — Councilwoman Carlina Rivera, State Senator Brad Hoylman, Assemblyman Harvey Epstein, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, Public Advocate Letitia James, City Comptroller Scott Stringer and Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer — have not had a "substantive exchange on the topic" with the mayor's office since this February and urged his office to move forward with negotiations in a recent letter.

"One year later, residents of the East Village and Lower East Side continue to express their enthusiasm at this change of heart after previous mayors let this community asset sit idle and in disrepair," the October letter reads.

"Your acknowledgment of the issues with the sale at auction of this property 20 years ago to private developers has given hope to the many who wish to see this building return to true community use under the City’s auspices."

Earlier this month city officials reached out to Singer's attorneys to discuss the potential acquisition, according to representatives for Singer and the mayor's office.

“We’ve reached out to representatives for the owner and we are exploring options with them," said Jaclyn Rothenberg, the first deputy press secretary to the mayor's office.

De Blasio also told The Villager in August that eminent domain is "certainly something I want to know more about, but I had hoped the best solution here would be a direct purchase."

The city and Singer's attorneys are currently in "preliminary talks" and are discussing "all possible options," said Nicole Epstein, a spokeswoman representing Singer.

Singer has sought to convert the former school building into a 535-bed college dormitory, but neighborhood activists and elected officials have opposed his plans and insist the building be turned back into a community center.

Work on the property hit a roadblock when the city concluded that Singer's plans violate what is commonly referred to as the city's "Dorm Rule" and served the site with a stop work order that remains in place, according to the city's Department of Buildings.

The facade of 605 East Ninth Street. (Photo courtesy of Caroline Spivack/Patch)