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Businesses Reshuffle in Meatpacking District for Gansevoort Development

By Danielle Tcholakian | September 15, 2015 5:35pm
 BKSK is designing the new Aurora Capital development spanning the entire south side of Gansevoort Street between Ninth Avenue and Washington Street.
BKSK is designing the new Aurora Capital development spanning the entire south side of Gansevoort Street between Ninth Avenue and Washington Street.
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BKSK Architects

MEATPACKING DISTRICT — A massive redevelopment of the southern side of Gansevoort Street from Ninth Avenue to Washington Street is displacing several popular neighborhood businesses.

But many of the block's commercial inhabitants are staying in the Meatpacking District, in what appears to be a shuffling of businesses by property owner William Gottlieb Real Estate, which owns the entire block of Gansevoort Street being developed by their partner, Aurora Capital Associates.

Macelleria, at 48 Gansevoort St. for 16 years, is relocating to Little West 12th Street, in a space that's a little bit bigger than what they have now, which they said at a July community board meeting is owned by the same landlord.

"We found out we had to move," owner Violetta Bitici, who runs the restaurant sandwiched between nightclub Provacateur and restaurant Bagatelle with her father Sergio Bitici said at a July Community Board 2 liquor licensing committee meeting. "It just fell into our lap."

They were granted approval for their license application, with the support of the Meatpacking Improvement Association, which advocated for them when the board tried to get them to close earlier.

"Viola and Sergio are just this dynamic duo that this community respects," a representative from the business improvement association said. "That's because they've earned it for over 15 years now."

Sugar Factory also moved from 46 Gansevoort St. at the corner of Ninth Avenue to 835 Washington St., also owned by William Gottlieb Real Estate.

The smallest Gansevoort Street tenant, bike shop and cafe Rapha Cycle Club, will not stay in the area, but has already found a new home on Prince Street in SoHo, and aims to open there early next year. They won't shutter until the end of this year, when their lease expires, a spokesman said.

Also on the block is massive gourmet food court Gansevoort Market, which will shutter when its lease ends next year after just two years, to be replaced by Keith McNally's Pastis.

Pastis was ousted from its longtime Ninth Avenue last year to make way for a Restoration Hardware flagship store. McNally's landlords at his old location were also William Gottlieb Real Estate and Bobby Cayre-owned Aurora Capital Associates.

A young worker died at that construction site earlier this year, resulting in criminal charges against two foremen and the construction companies they worked for, as well as the license suspension of a contractor who worked on developments owned by the Cayre family across the city.