The Oil Drum: Local

PS6 will remain behind bars on Saturdays

Disappointing news broke in New York Magazine this morning about the greenmarket at PS 6 that was approved by Community Board 8 last month. It seems that the Council on the Environment formally withdrew the large PS 6 location for a new greenmarket. While the details are sketchy right now, from what I have been able to gather, Eli Zabar and the residents of the adjacent buildings to PS 6 hired lawyers and threatened to picket the greenmarket location if they started one there. As ridiculous as that seems, this is local politics on the Upper East Side:

The revolt started a few weeks ago, when members of Community Board 8 voted yes. Locals, along with fancy-grocery guy Eli Zabar, staged on-street protests against potential noise (from trucks) and sanitation (from scraps of leftover food).

As someone who has shopped and dined at Eli's in the past, I can say that I will never shop there again and I encourage everyone else to boycott him now that he has bullied the greenmarkets folks out of his domain. As for the residents across from PS 6 on East 82nd between Madison and Park, all I can say is that you have done your neighborhood a major disservice.

Well, that dream just got one step closer to becoming a reality tonight: The Streetfair committee of Community Board 8 voted in favor of both locations - PS 6 (82nd bet Madison & Park) AND St. Stephen's church (82nd bet 1st & York).

It was like a scene from Woody Allen movie about local democracy on the UES: Angry co-op boards, Park Avenue socialites, PTA moms, local food celebrity, politicians...if only I wrote screenplays!