Condos To Replace East Village Lot Destroyed By Gas Explosion

EAST VILLAGE, NY — High-end condominiums could replace the East Village lot that’s sat empty since a 2015 gas explosion there killed two people, according to new construction plans filed with the city.

Developers are looking to build a seven-story building at 119 Second Ave., one of two sites that was devastated in the March 2015 explosion. The incident killed two people and injured a dozen more. Prosecutors have blamed the explosion on a shoddy gas delivery system illegally set up by the building's former owner, a contractor and two plumbers to bypass official inspections.

The Nexus Development Group bought the lots at 119 and 121 Second Ave. last year for $9.15 million. Their plans for the space at 119 Second Ave., filed on Tuesday and first reported by The Real Deal, are to build a new, seven-story structure with condos and retail space.

The building would include 21 residential units along with about 2,100 square feet of commercial space, according to the plans. Renderings for the building have not yet been released. Nexus describes the project as "high-end" on its website.

The lot's former owner Maria Hrynenko and three other people are awaiting trial in connection with the deadly explosion, which stemmed rom a restaurant inside 121 Second Ave. Hrynenko, 57, is facing charges of manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide.

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