The new data from the New York City’s Department of Buildings, property owners and building representatives obtained 2,030 demolition permits throughout the five boroughs last year, the highest number since 2008, when the financial crisis sent the construction industry into a tailspin. Fast Company reported.
The data shows that the number of demolition permits issued citywide has risen every year in this decade, with 2017’s figure more than double what it was in 2010.
Last year, the largest year-over-year increases were in Staten Island and the Bronx, where the city issued 334 and 174 demolition permits respectively. Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens all saw slight declines between 2016 and 2017.
Brooklyn saw the highest number of demo permits both years, with 732 in 2016 and 690 in 2017. A DOB spokesman told me via email that the record for demolition permits in a single year was 2006, when 3,653 were issued.
