Maybe it’s a coincidence, but landlords have been renting space to banks in a hurry in the past few months ahead of new rules that will limit the size of banks on the Upper West Side. Some of the banks are gobbling up space that used to hold multiple smaller businesses — exactly the kind of thing that the new rezoning rules are supposed to quash. For instance, a massive new TD Bank is expected to take over the space on 88th Street and Broadway vacated by Ritz Camera and Price Wise discount store (above) and another adjacent space soon to be vacated by The Wine Place.
We’ve been getting tips about new banks opening for the past few weeks, but have been slow to follow up, in part because it’s hard to get excited about new banks. DNAinfo has thankfully made the requisite phone calls and confirmed the imminent arrival on the Upper West Side of 4 new banks, listed below. City Council member Gale Brewer’s office reports that once the new banks set up shop, there will be 70 banks between 54th and 96th Streets (the borders of her district).
Here are the locations of the new banks:
- TD Bank on 88th and Broadway
- Chase Bank on 67th Street and Columbus (next to Reebok Sports Club)
- Bank of America on 81st and Broadway, where a Hale and Hearty and a pharmacy used to sit.
- A Citibank on 86th and
BroadwayColumbus in place of the Three Star Coffee Shop.
Read about some exciting openings and closings here.
Thanks to Ken Lupano for the photo.
The flood of banks into our neighborhood is a reflection of the flood of excess wealth into our neighborhood. Your very own next article in today’s Rag illustrates the phenomenon in reporting on the sale, for a record price, of a house for people to live in:
“It’s another one of those buildings that used to house 10 families, but will now house one exceptionally rich family (this has become a trend on the Upper West Side).”
That’s also why we are seeing coffee shops closing and fancified coffee “bars” sprouting everywhere. And why high-end clothing stores, like Brooks Brothers (Brooks Brothers!!) are opening, when of-the-people providers like Morris Brothers can’t survive. And of course it accounts for the opening of Lululemon here, too — the wives of all those high-powered financiers need to have ready access to the fanciest overpriced sweat gear!
Oh, sorry — “designer yoga garb”.
Goodbye, Upper West Side. Hello, Upper Wealth Side.
Get used to it.
Give me a break, Cato. I say better banks than empty storefronts. Talk to the greedy landlords of these commercial properties, they are the ones raising rents so smaller retail shops can not afford them.And there has always been uber-wealthy families on the Upper West Side. We also have a huge number (larger than any other Manhattan district) of SROs and transitional and supportive housing centers. Speaking of, many of our restaurants and store’s are struggling since we kicked out the European tourists who were staying in “illegal hotels”, these rooms are now housing homeless, and they don’t spend money in our struggling businesses. We NEED wealthy to move in and SPEND money. It benefits everyone. And no, I am not wealthy, just in case you are wondering. Not even close.
So now we have “homeless” and “uber-wealthy”. Me, I liked it better when we allowed the middle class to live here, too.
Give ME a break, Noelle. Between the yogawear/excess banks or blight/empty storefronts, I’ll take the blight. You and greedy landlords get your way but the rest of us get the shaft again. Enjoy your Chase, just what the neighborhood was missing.
Busybody bid to block banks backfires badly.
Can’t we persuade them that, if they insist on bland-icizing our nabe, they should at least be giving FREE $AMPLE$ ??
Well, now that the Money Laundering is settled (HSBC admitted no guilt when it paid out millions to quash reports it laundered 16 billion in 25, 000 transactions to turn Pesos into Dollars) HSBC is offering bonuses on new depositor accounts. Open one today and receive a real Mexican Head!