Lopez-backed candidate, Councilman Erik Martin Dilan, falls short by Alan Krawitz The 2012 Democratic primary in the newly created 7th District. which includes parts of Brooklyn, Queens and the Lower East Side, was billed by many to be one of the toughest challenges of Rep. Nydia Velázquez’s 10 terms in office. But, that storyline fell 
By Paul Bisceglio St. Mark’s Bookshop seeks a new home. Established in 1977, the bookshop is a literary fixture in the East Village that has attracted cultural luminaries like William S. Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, Philip Glass and Susan Sontag. According to Crain’s, however, the store hopes to find a more affordable location when its rent increases 
SPURA SITE GETS 9,000 AFFORDABLE APARTMENTS Last week, Community Board 3’s Committee on Land Use approved a proposal to develop affordable housing in the Seward Park Urban Renewal Area (SPURA), five vacant, city-owned lots on the Lower East Side. The site has been undeveloped for nearly 50 years and has been the subject of intense 
