Church contracted with caterer to run year-round private catering affairs. The Third Church of Christ, Scientist, located on Park Avenue and 64th Street in Manhattan, was concerned with its dwindling membership and concomitant lack of funds. Its building required major capital repairs to bring it up to code. In an effort to avoid selling the building, the Church entered … <Read More>
Building owner inspected facade after allotted time. Beginning in 1980, owners of buildings taller than six stories were required to conduct a critical examination of their buildings’ facade every five years. Each five-year cycle required submission of a technical report following examination. In February 1999, the Department of Buildings accepted the last of the fourth round technical reports. Building owner J.T. Tai Co., Inc. conducted a facade examination in … <Read More>
Audit found inadequate follow-up on violations; DOB to implement most, if not all,of Comptroller’s recommendations. City Comptroller William C. Thompson issued an audit report on Buildings’ handling of Building Code and other violations. The audit determined that Buildings’ follow-up efforts on violations were insufficient, not only because of program deficiencies, but also because Buildings lacked the authority to re-inspect flagged sites without a warrant and to compel property owners to remedy violations. As a result, … <Read More>
DOB stop-work order of no consequence in vested rights analysis. On April 25, 2007, the Department of Buildings issued a permit to the owner of 1447 Rosedale Avenue to construct a three-story, two-family home. Two weeks later the City Council approved a rezoning in Park Stratton which changed the zoning on the owner’s lot from R6 to R5, thereby rendering the proposed project out-of-compliance with maximum permitted floor area, parking, lot coverage, residential density, and … <Read More>
DOB will report all construction injuries and fatalities and provide the state with names of sanctioned architects and engineers. On June 12, 2008, the City Council passed two local laws increasing the Department of Buildings’ reporting requirements.
One of the new local laws, Intro 754-A, requires the Buildings Commissioner to post every incident that results in an injury or fatality on a construction site. The posting must identify the owner, general contractor, the number of … <Read More>
Revised protocols for tower cranes intended to improve safety at work sites. On May 28, 2008, the New York City Department of Buildings announced new procedures for erecting and dismantling tower cranes. The new procedures require an engineer to submit written plans that detail the erection and dismantling procedure for each and every crane he or she intends to use for construction. Upon Buildings’ approval, the engineer must then certify that he or she has … <Read More>