City sought to demolish derelict, mid-block row-house. The Department of Buildings issued an emergency declaration to demolish a deteriorating, vacant, and dangerous row-house at 32-49 37th Street between Broadway and 34th Avenue in Astoria. In order to demolish the abandoned mid-block building, contractors were required to erect scaffolding protecting the adjoining row-houses that physically abut the derelict building. The owners of the neighboring row-houses refused access to construct the scaffolding unless the City obtained legal … <Read More>
Search Results for: Building Demolition
Emergency Demolition of Clark Street Building Upheld
Buildings directed wrecking company to partially demolish privately owned building. Buildings received a complaint on a Friday evening regarding a five-story building located at 100 Clark Street in Brooklyn. An emergency response team inspected the site the next day and determined the building was in imminent danger of collapse due to a bulging wall and an out-of-plumb fire escape. The response team recommended immediate demolition to a safe level, and the Brooklyn deputy borough commissioner … <Read More>
Warehouse Owner Wins Access to Neighbor’s Land for Demolition Fence
Owner who was required to build a protective fence during demolition could not get adjoining property owners to give access to property needed to build the fence. North 7-8 Investors, LLC, the owner of a warehouse located at 2225 46th Street in Astoria, Queens, sought to demolish the warehouse and construct a new building. Under the City Administrative Code the warehouse owner must during demolition erect a perimeter fence to protect adjoining buildings. The fence … <Read More>
Sign Use Lost Following Demolition
Property owner relied on permit improperly issued by Buildings to claim that advertising sign was a legal grandfathered use. Perlbinder Holdings, LLC owned a building located at 663-669 Second Avenue in Manhattan. Perlbinder for many years maintained a large, single-sided, illuminated advertising sign on the side of the building and had received a permit from the Department of Buildings to operate the sign in 1980. Subsequently, the Council amended the New York City Zoning … <Read More>
UES Tenement Development To Keep Landmark Status Despite Owner’s Lawsuit
Building owners claimed landmark status caused financial hardship. Stahl York Avenue Co., LLC, tenement development owner of 429 East 64th Street and 430 East 65th Street in the Upper East Side, sued the City and the Landmark Preservation Commission in January 2016, asking the court to release the property landmark status in order to permit demolition and construct new high-rises for larger profits. Stahl York Avenue sought to demolish the two buildings, which are part … <Read More>
Fined $47,400 for unlawful conversion
Owner converted two-family Queens home into a six-family residence. Jimming Zhao owns a residential building located at 143-10 Beech Avenue, Queens with a certificate of occupancy for a one or two-family dwelling. On October 17, 2016 an inspector from the Department of Buildings visited the premises and found the residence altered and occupied by six families. The second floor had four single room occupancies and the first floor had two single room occupancies.