Sinkhole, Snowy Owl, Trader Joe's: Upper East Side 2021 Review

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Though the turbulence of 2020 seemed to be in the rearview mirror, 2021 offered no shortage of surprises for New York City — and for the Upper East Side.

From the early days of the vaccine rollout to a drop and subsequent rise in COVID-19 cases to Madison Avenue's struggle to rebound from the pandemic, the coronavirus lingered in the neighborhood's headlines this year.

But not all noteworthy stories were related to the ongoing crisis. As 2022 approaches, Upper East Side Patch is looking back at the neighborhood's top stories of 2021.

Upper East Side Trader Joe's On Track For Fall 2021 Opening; New Upper East Side Trader Joe's Finally Opens

Our most-viewed story of 2021 was our August report that Trader Joe's was on track to open its long-awaited 59th Street supermarket by fall of this year. Indeed, the spacious store held its grand opening on Dec. 2 under the Queensboro Bridge, welcoming customers into the sprawling space with a live jazz band and free tote bags.

Upper East Side Sinkhole: 20-Foot Crater Startles Neighborhood

Some in the neighborhood woke up to a startling sight on a Thursday morning in July: a 20-foot-deep sinkhole that had opened up in the middle of East 89th Street between York and East End avenues. The sinkhole was especially unnerving since it came days after heavy rains inundated the city's sewers and subway system; the city later said that a leaking sewer line was likely to blame.

New 'Safe Haven' Shelter On Upper East Side Welcomed By Board

In stark contrast to the harsh opposition that greeted temporary shelters on the Upper West Side, a community board overwhelmingly backed a January proposal to open a new "safe haven" shelter in Yorkville.

Lone Tenant Battles Extell Over Upper East Side Development; New UES Tower Will Build Around Holdout Residents, Plans Show

Patch broke the news that the developer Extell would being forced to construct an awkwardly-shaped building on First Avenue after losing its legal battle to force out a single rent-stabilized tenant from his corner apartment.

Blood Center Rezoning Approved By Council After Yearlong Battle

After a yearlong fight, the City Council approved the New York Blood Center's Upper East Side rezoning in November: a defeat for neighborhood preservationists and political leaders who opposed the placement of a glass tower on the mid-block site.

3 Upper East Side Buildings Face Demolition, Permits Show; Development Coming To UES Block As Last Building Faces Teardown

We've followed the transformation of Third Avenue between East 74th and 75th streets, which began the year as a row of brick tenements and ended the year as an empty lot, as developers EJS Group pursue plans to build a high-rise on the site.

Menin Likely Winner In UES City Council Race As Rival Concedes

The neighborhood's big political news of the summer was Julie Menin's victory in the District 5 City Council primary to succeed Ben Kallos. Menin declared victory three days after the hard-fought June 2 primary, where she faced six other Democrats.

UES Power Couple Says Neighbor's Renovations Are Tormenting Them

This startling lawsuit by an Upper East Side power couple accused their dentist neighbor of tormenting them through a stalled renovation project that attracted rodents and sullied their street.

'Mega-Rare' Snowy Owl Appears In Central Park, Wowing New Yorkers

One of the Upper East Side's happiest headlines of 2021 was the snowy owl that stunned onlookers when it appeared in Central Park's North Meadow ballfields on Jan. 27 — then remained in the park for days before taking leave of the city.