EAST VILLAGE — The streets surrounding the site of the fatal East Village gas explosion will soon be named for the victims of the tragedy, less than two months after family members spearheaded a campaign to honor the two men.
The bid to name Second Avenue between Seventh Street and St. Marks Place for Nicholas Figueroa and Seventh Street between Second and Third avenues for Moises Locon flew through the City Council last week, according to a representative for Councilwoman Rosie Mendez.
The co-namings will become law on June 23, according to a city spokesman. Councilwoman Mendez's office will then work with Figueroa's family to decide on a time to unveil the new signs.
Figueroa, 23, had been on a date at Sushi Park — a restaurant at 121 Second Ave. where Locon, 26, worked as a busboy — when a gas explosion decimated the building and two neighboring properties in March 2015. The bodies of the two men were pulled from the rubble days later.
Figueroa's family was soon in talks with Mendez's office to kick off a co-naming campaign, but rules dictate an individual must be deceased for two years before a co-naming can be proposed in that person's honor.
Shortly after that two-year mark was reached, Figueroa's mother and brother took to the streets with representatives from Mendez's office to gather signatures supporting the endeavor. The local community board unanimously approved the co-namings soon after.
The community board also voted in favor of co-naming Second Street between Avenues A and B for former community board member and housing advocate Mary Spink. That proposal will go before City Council in the fall, according to a representative for Mendez.
