W Hotel at 541 Lexington Ave., Manhattan. Image Credit: CityLaw.

The W New York ordered to install 19 new grease traps. On November 3, 2016, a Department of Environmental Protection officer found that the grease interceptors at the W Hotel at 541 Lexington Ave., Manhattan did not conform to DEP’s standards. The inspector directed the hotel owner to install and maintain properly-sized grease interceptors in seventeen designated locations on the first and second floor at the hotel. On March 1, 2017, a DEP officer cited the hotel for failing to comply with the order. (read more…)

Image Credit: Triton.

Contractor hired to repair Hurricane Sandy damage failed to list dispute when seeking time extensions on project. In 2009, the Department of Design and Construction awarded Triton Structural Concrete, Inc. a $105,003,443 contract to rebuild and repair various beachfront structures in Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island that were damaged by Hurricane Sandy. The contract required Triton to install prefabricated modular buildings on driven pile foundations along several sections of the beachfront. (read more…)

Manee-Seguine Homestead in Staten Island. Image Credit: Wiki.

Owner of Staten Island landmark who failed to maintain property forced to give landmark to City after accruing $8.55 million in regulatory fines. The Manee-Seguine Homestead in Staten Island was built by Paulus Regrenier in 1670. The City designated the Homestead a City landmark in 1984. In September 2008, the Department of Buildings declared the Homestead was dangerous and dilapidated and ordered its demolition. The Landmarks Commission intervened, preventing the Homestead’s demolishment. Seguine Bay Estates bought the property a year later, in 2009, but neglected to make the repairs. In 2013, Buildings ordered Seguine to make repairs. Three years later, in 2016, Landmarks sued Seguine in Richmond County Supreme Court to force Seguine to make the repairs. Seguine filed a hardship application with the court, stating that the Homestead was too dilapidated to repair, and any repairs would exceed the cost of the lot’s market value. (read more…)

Master Plumber submitted a large number of erroneous gas turn-on requests. The Department of Buildings surveyed all plumbing requests for sign-off and gas authorizations made by New York City licensed master plumbers between April 1, 2016 and October 31, 2016. The inspections by master licensed plumbers should ensure that all the necessary work and inspections have been accomplished prior to submitting a request for turning on the gas. Buildings identified ten licensed master plumbers who had the highest denial rates for plumbing sign-off requests and gas authorizations. Among them was master licensed plumber Valentino Buono. (read more…)

Victoria Secret in Herald’s Square. Image Credit: CityLaw.

Outdoor signs at Herald Square store exceeded the maximum allowable height. Victoria’s Secret, located in Herald Square at 1328 Broadway in Manhattan, maintained three outdoor signs that reached 37 feet above curb level. On November 23, 2015, the Department of Buildings charged Victoria’s Secret with violating the maximum allowable height of 25 feet as set out in Section 32-655 of the New York City Zoning Resolution. The officer charged Victoria’s Secret with three Class 2 violations of the Zoning Resolution. (read more…)