NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer. Image credit: Office of the New York City Comptroller

Audit reveals that Department of Buildings did not inspect non-compliant POPS locations. On November 22, 2017, the Office of the City Comptroller Scott Stringer released a report of a follow-up audit to determine whether the Privately Owned Public Spaces (POPS), previously found noncompliant in an April 18, 2017 audit, now provided all required amenities, and what action if any were taken by the Department of Buildings to bring these POPS into compliance. To read CityLand’s previous coverage on the Comptroller’s initial audit, click here. (more…)

NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer. Image credit: Office of the New York City Comptroller

The audit report finds that the Department of Finance’s incorrect classification of Queens properties as mixed-use properties resulted in lost revenue for the City. On June 10, 2016, the Office of the City Comptroller Scott Stringer released a report of an audit conducted by the Department of Finance. The audit sought to determine whether the Department of Finance used procedures to ensure that properties classified as mixed-use in Queens had been properly classified.

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In four years, Buildings has enacted eight of sixty-five safety recommendations after spending $5.8 million on a study. On November 7, 2014, New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer released an audit finding the Department of Buildings has failed to act upon recommendations for crane safety that came from a report they commissioned, four years after the report was issued. (more…)

Public Design Commission rejected Comptroller’s recommendation for more efficient design review process.  The New York City Public Design Commission (formerly known as the Art Commission) reviews permanent works of art, architecture, and landscape architecture proposed on or over City-owned property. The Commission is composed of 11 unpaid members, eight of whom are appointed by the mayor, and includes an architect, landscape architect, painter, and sculptor, as well as representatives of the Brooklyn Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the New York Public Library.

The City agency with jurisdiction over the property on which a proposed project is located must submit its design to the Commission. Prior to submitting a proposal to the Commission, applicants must ensure compliance with the regulations of (more…)

Image Credit: Office of the Comptroller

The DOT still does not have a complete inventory of the City’s 250,000 street name signs. On August 14, 2020, New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer released a follow-up audit of the Department of Transportation, three years after the original audit of their street name sign maintenance. The 2017 audit of the Department of Transportation revealed significant inadequacies in the Department’s ability to install and maintain street signs, and the 2020 audit revealed that the Department still lacks a standard procedure to address street name sign complaints in a timely manner. (more…)