Four-foot tall iron fence blocked access to public plaza. After the Dept. of City Planning received complaints about an obstruction to a public plaza, a Buildings inspector was sent to the site at 733 Park Avenue in Manhattan. The inspector observed a four-foot tall iron fence surrounding the entire plaza and separating the public sidewalk from the garden area and the plaza’s walkways. The inspector issued a violation to the owner, charging it with failing to comply with the terms of an as-of-right plaza bonus by not providing 24-hour public access to the plaza in violation of the City’s Zoning Resolution.

An ALJ upheld the violation, ruling that the owner was obstructing access to the public plaza with a four-foot tall fence. The ALJ found that the owner was supposed to provide a plaza for public use in exchange for a floor area bonus that it received in connection with construction. (read more…)

Former DOB plan examiner contacted DOB on behalf of employer about a problem with its e-filing system. John Tsarsis had been employed by the Department of Buildings as a plan examiner for six years. In 2007, Tsarsis worked for a short period with Ismael Leyva Architects, but then began working as a senior projects and code and zoning manager for Milrose Consultants. Less than a year after leaving Buildings, Tsarsis contacted the Department on behalf of Milrose. Tsarsis e-mailed Buildings’ executive director of operations redesign, seeking advice on how to resolve a computer problem that Milrose was experiencing with Building’s e-filing system. Tsarsis acknowledged that by contacting Buildings on behalf of Milrose, he violated the City’s conflicts of interest laws that prohibit a former public servant from appearing before the City agency they worked for within one year after terminating their employment. The Conflicts of Interest Board fined Tsarsis $750.

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Former Deputy Mayor holds new position at Bloomberg LP. On January 11, 2008, Deputy Mayor Daniel L. Doctoroff left City Hall to become President of Bloomberg LP, which has a landlord-tenant relationship with Vornado Realty. On January 14th, First Deputy Mayor Patricia Harris sought a waiver from the Conflicts of Interest Board that would allow Doctoroff to continue to serve the City as an unpaid adviser for PlaNYC 2030, Moynihan Station, Queens West, and as a member of the Hudson River Park Trust and Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation.

With respect to Moynihan Station, Vornado and the Related Companies formed a joint venture to work with the State and City on the project. 4 CityLand 154 (Nov. 15, 2007). Harris claimed that negotiations with Vornado’s joint venture are at a “critical juncture,” but should conclude within a matter of months with Doctoroff’s assistance. She proposed that once Doctoroff brings the negotiations to an end, he then recuse himself for a year from any matter pertaining to Vornado and Moynihan Station. Harris also proposed that Doctoroff recuse himself from the current negotiations for additional office space between Bloomberg LP and Vornado. (read more…)