All images courtesy of Loisaida Inc.

After two years of virtual celebrations, the annual parade honoring the Lower East Side’s Puerto Rican and Caribbean community will take place in person. Hosted by the Loisaida Center in partnership with the Acacia Network, the Loisaida Festival is returning for its 35th year this Memorial Day Weekend. The event will kick off on Sunday, May 29 at 11:30 a.m. with a parade showcasing organizations, community figures, artists, and performers before moving north up to the main stage on 12th Street. The festival will be held from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Avenue C between 5th and 12th Streets.

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Rendering courtesy of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development

Applications are currently being accepted for 20 mixed-income units at a new rental on the Lower East Side designed by notable local architects ODA Architecture. Developed by Nexus Building Development Group, the 16-story mid-rise at 171 Chrystie Street features an intricate geometric design and a prime lower Manhattan location. New Yorkers earning 40, 60, and 130 percent of the area median income, or between $24,789 for a single person and $108,680 for a household of five, are eligible to apply for the apartments, which range from $677/month studios to $2,689/month one-bedrooms.

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Streetview of Gouverneur Gardens; © 2022 Google

Applications are currently being accepted for newly-opened waitlist spots for studios and two-bedroom middle-income units at the Gouverneur Gardens co-op at 305 Madison Street. New Yorkers earning 125 percent of the area median income can apply to purchase apartments in the post-war development on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, priced from $19,677 for a studio to $35,418.60 for a two-bedroom.

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Listing photos courtesy of Brown Harris Stevens

East River Co-op is a four-building complex with a total of 1,672 apartments. It’s located on Grand Street, just off the FDR, which means many of its homes have incredible East River views. This apartment at 568 Grand Street has just that, overlooking the Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Williamsburg Bridges, as well as the Freedom Tower. The four-bedroom home also has a private terrace and tons of closet space, and it’s asking $2,495,000.

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Photo of a previous year’s Festival by Melvin Audaz

In 1987, Avenue C was renamed Loisaida Avenue, “a Spanglish name for the Lower East Side, connoting the Puerto Rican and Latinx community which have had a significant presence there since the mid-20th century,” explained Village Preservation executive director Andrew Berman. That same year on the Sunday before Memorial Day, the vibrant community hosted the first Loisaida Festival to celebrate their neighborhood’s culture. Thirty-four years later, and the Festival is still going strong. For the second year, the event will be virtual on two Sundays–May 23 and 30–featuring an exciting roster of musicians, performers, and family-friendly entertainment.

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+ POOL, designed by Family New York & PLAYLAB, INC. Rendering by Luxigon

A plan to build a swimming pool on the East River is finally moving forward after being in the works for over a decade. In an Instagram post published on Saturday, the nonprofit +POOL announced the group had received confirmation from the city to proceed with due diligence on their project: a floating, self-filtering pool on the south side of Pier 35 on the Lower East Side.

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All images courtesy of ODA New York

In preparation for a spring sales launch, new details and a teaser website for the 12-floor residential building at 208 Delancey Street on the Lower East Side have been revealed. As first spotted by New York Yimby, fresh renderings of the ODA New York-designed project show a bright lobby with a natural color scheme and an impressive rooftop terrace with plantings and multi-use areas. In total, the building measures 85,000 square feet and contains 85 units, including two ground-floor townhouses.

Details here

Photo by Shinya Suzuki on Flickr

Outdoor food market operator Smorgasburg announced on Wednesday that it will open a new flea market at a location already familiar to most New Yorkers. Hester Flea will set up shop on the Lower East Side at Hester and Essex Streets, the same place where the Hester Street Fair operated for the last decade, organizers said in an email. As Curbed first reported, the Seward Park Co-op board did not renew the longtime LES fair’s lease after their agreement ended last year.

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All renderings by VMI Studio

The second condo building at the Essex Crossing mega-development has revealed a slew of new renderings, along with the first pricing details. Located at 202 Broome Street, One Essex Crossing is the seventh of nine buildings at the Lower East Side project. The 83-unit building was designed by CetraRuddy and is distinguished by its elevated 9,000-square-foot amenity garden. Prices range from an $890,000 studio to a $6,689,000 duplex penthouse. Occupancy is expected later this year.

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Photo by Gluck+

Once an enclave for immigrants and the working class, and later a haven for artists, the Lower East Side’s evolution continues into the 21st century as a destination for luxury developments. While major projects like the Essex Crossing mega-development and One Manhattan Square have hogged the spotlight, more modest new buildings are also making their mark on the neighborhood, including 150 Rivington. The approachable seven-story apartment building boasts a modern glassy facade, contains 45 condo units, and a cozy landscaped rooftop with an outdoor kitchen, fireplace, and endless city views.

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