Rick D. Chandler, commissioner of the New York City Department of Buildings (NYCDOB), will be retiring after 31 years with the city, including nearly 20 with the department, four of which were as commissioner.
Chandler led a sweeping modernization effort touching every part of NYDOB, including the launch of DOB NOW, which will allow New Yorkers to do all business with the department online; hiring more than 230 new inspectors and 150 technical staff, resulting in significantly faster permit reviews and inspections of construction sites and 311 complaints; and regulating the city’s real estate and construction industries during the largest building boom in at least 50 years, Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a statement.
Thomas Fariello, the agency’s first deputy commissioner, will serve as acting buildings commissioner, effective Feb. 1.
“When I took office, I called for a fundamental reform of the Buildings Department – and I am grateful to Commissioner Chandler for helping deliver on that promise,” de Blasio said. “As Buildings Commissioner, Rick presided over an unprecedented building boom while at the same time launching an aggressive modernization plan to give the public faster service and greater transparency about DOB’s operations. While I’m sad to see Rick go, I thank him for his decades of service to the city and wish him well in his future endeavors,” said Mayor de Blasio.
Fariello is a New York State registered architect with more than 30 years of experience in the fields of architecture and construction.
NYCDOB regulates and promotes the safe and lawful use of nearly 1.1 million buildings and more than 45,000 active construction sites in the city.
