By MARISSA LANG and PATRICK GALLAHUE
June 21, 2008
The gourmet grocery store Zeytinia is gone. The restaurant Kebap G is gone. The bar Red Rock Roadhouse is gone.
And fellow shop owners in the crosshairs of the massive Second Avenue Subway construction project are warning it's only a matter of time before the commercial corridor is a ghost town unless they get help.
"Six businesses have closed since the start of construction in April of 2007, and several more are on their last legs," said Eddie Crowe, owner of the Crowe's Nest Bar and Restaurant.
The businesses are now seeking help from Mayor Bloomberg in the form of legislation that would provide grants and a six-month tax abatement.
The size of the sidewalk is cut in half, and there is virtually no curb space for drive-by business.
Claudio Desovza, manager of Delizia Pizzeria at 92nd Street, estimated business has fallen by 25 to 30 percent.
"There are tangible steps the city is taking to help minimize the temporary impact of the subway construction on businesses, but granting blanket tax abatements would be a mistake, especially given the current pressure on taxpayer dollars," said Bloomberg spokesman Andrew Brent.
The construction currently stretches from 91st to 95th streets. Future construction on the first phase, which will extend the Q train from 63rd and Lexington Avenue up Second Avenue to 96th Street, will continue down the avenue in stages into 2015.
patrick.gallahue@ny post.com
