One of the more pernicious byproducts of building renovations in this city may be getting less noxious.
Sidewalk sheds—the ugly one-story scaffolds that line every mid-sized or tall building in the city at one time or another during renovation, inspection and construction—can now take another form. The Bloomberg administration announced Thursday the winner Read More
In last week’s Observer, I profiled Goldman Sachs’ soon-to-be-old headquarters at 85 Broad Street. One of the distinctly unpleasant things about reporting the piece was Goldman’s unwillingness to cooperate–they wouldn’t allow a visit, let alone interviews with employees–though that wasn’t that surprising. The New York City Department of Buildings was, interestingly, just as unhelpful. Read More
The demolition of the ill-fated tower may take even longer than expected. And then there’s lawsuits. Read More
Emily Lloyd, commissioner of the city’s Department of Environmental Preservation, is headed to the real estate industry, as she resigned her government position to take a job as chief operating officer of Trinity Real Estate.
Ms. Lloyd assumed the DEP commissioner job in 2005, after the departure of Chris Ward, who is now executive Read More
At a hearing this morning, the City Council discussed seven legislative reforms regarding construction site safety, including three bills that would further regulate crane operations.
If passed, the legislation would force crane operators to undergo a 30-hour certified training course and to attend refreshers every three years. (Currently certification is not Read More
The criticism and the proposed reforms following the city’s recent fatal construction accidents have tended to focus on crane safety and the Department of Buildings, an agency derided by elected officials as inefficient and prone to corruption.
But a broader challenge to the sector and to citywide safety comes from the Read More
With construction safety serving as the favorite punching bag for legislators of late, the City Council is putting together a torrent of new proposed regulations of the construction industry, with a hearing scheduled tomorrow for 12 bills.
Numerous members of the City Council have called for new steps to ensure safety at construction Read More
In the search for a new commissioner for the Department of Buildings, the Bloomberg administration wants to drop a requirement that the position go to a certified architect or engineer, a move that is being resisted by the city’s architectural advocacy organization.
“We feel very, very strongly that it should be withdrawn, that Read More
The city’s commissioner of the Department of Buildings, Patricia Lancaster, today resigned from her post, more than five weeks after a major Upper East Side crane collapse killed seven people.
Ms. Lancaster, credited with overhauling and cleaning up a department noted for corruption, led numerous efforts to modernize the regulatory agency Read More
Last year was one of the busiest years for residential development in New York’s recent history, with permits issued for 31,918 privately owned housing units, according to data from the U.S. Census. The city’s departments of Housing Preservation and Development and of Buildings announced the numbers today, saying 2007 saw the second highest number of Read More
