Plans Filed To Build Michaels Arts And Crafts Store On Upper East Side

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Plans to build a Michaels store within commercial space located in the Queensboro Bridge have been filed with the city Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC). Due to the space's landmark status the plan must be approved by the LPC and the Department of Transportation.

The construction will include interior alterations, doors replacement, lighting work and signage installation, Stephanie Baez, a spokeswoman from the city Economic Development Corporation, told Patch. The LPC will discuss the new store — located on the corner of East 59th Street and First Avenue — during its Jan. 24 meeting, according to the meeting agenda. The total government approval process could take between three to six months, Baez told Patch.

The city-owned space was previously occupied by a Food Emporium which closed in 2015. Food Emporium's parent company A&P had the legal right to assign its lease per a bidding process — with Michaels placing the winning bid — and the city had no right to intervene in the exchange of the lease, Baez told Patch.

A message to Michaels corporate was not immediately returned.

Here is the application filed with the Landmarks Preservation Commission:

Photo by Google Maps street view