Change is a’comin to the East Village.

Of note:

Several people (East Village Feed | E.V. Grieve) linked to a WSJ story about the soon-to-open luxury building at 2 Cooper. In addition to an impressive list of posh amenities (15-seat private screening room, 75-square foot walk-in refrigerator on the ground floor to hold tenants’ food and flower deliveries), it will also feature some of the highest rents “in this rapidly gentrifying” neighborhood’s history, as high as $20K/month for a three-bedroom apartment.

Phew.

In lighter news, this fall, the city’s Department of Transportation and the M.T.A. are partnering on “one of the largest transportation overhauls in memory.”  

Kurt Cavanaugh reports for The Villager:

“Nearly 200 blocks of First and Second Avenues are slated for physically protected bicycle lanes, pedestrian refuges and dedicated bus lanes. The specifics of the block-by-block redesigns are being coordinated by community boards and a Community Advisory Committee made up of residents from all along the East Side. This much is certain: By this October, 60,000 daily riders on the M15 bus route will be speeding along in dedicated bus lanes and paying fares at special machines at the curb to enhance rapid boarding. Cyclists, whose numbers are constantly growing, will have new lanes along most of that corridor, protecting them from car doors and unaware traffic. Pedestrians — especially the disabled and elderly — will have more manageable crossing distances at the avenues, helping them navigate streets much more safely. 

Much, much more in the full article, including the surprising results of a survey of East Village revelers’ methods of transportation and spending habits here.

So, for better and/or worse, in many ways this ain’t your daddy’s East Village.

But, as long as the new residents at 2 Cooper enjoy French Fries and riding bikes, we should all get on just famously…