New York Construction Report staff writer
Basic Group, an architecture and construction consulting firm, will dissolve and a licensed architect has been barred from doing business with New York City’s Department of Buildings (DOB) following an investigation into improperly certified renovation applications.
New York Attorney General Letitia James announced settlements with Basic Group and architect Kevin McCray on Sept. 15. The Attorney General’s Office (OAG) said the company and McCray used McCray’s professional certification privileges to submit renovation applications without the required review and supervision.
Basic, a division of PCM Architect PLLC, employs expediters who help clients prepare paperwork for construction and renovation projects. According to the OAG, Basic hired McCray in 2021 to file applications with the DOB using his professional certification privileges to speed up the approval process.
The OAG said McCray agreed with Basic owner Wing Huang that he would submit applications without preparing or reviewing many of the documents. Professional certification rules require the certified architect or engineer to meet specific preparation and review requirements, according to the agency.
McCray filed 57 jobs associated with Basic between March 2021 and June 2022.
The investigation focused in part on renovations at an apartment building at 191 Bedford Ave. in Brooklyn.
According to the OAG, Basic was hired in December 2021 to prepare and file renovation plans for the recently purchased building. McCray submitted the plans to the DOB in February 2022.
The application was rejected because the proposed work required a Certificate of No Harassment from the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development, the OAG said.
In October 2023, McCray submitted a second plan that altered the proposed work so that a Certificate of No Harassment would not be required. The DOB approved that application, according to the Attorney General’s Office.
The OAG said the building renovations were subsequently completed according to the original plan, which had been rejected by the DOB.
In October 2024, Basic, through McCray, submitted a third renovation plan that was identical to the first plan. The OAG said the filing was intended to conceal the work that had already been completed.
A DOB audit of the building identified the renovations and uncovered the subsequent filing, according to the agency.
The building owner, BlueSky Management NY LLC, has denied knowledge of the alleged scheme, according to the OAG. BlueSky had previously reached a separate agreement with the Attorney General’s Office requiring it to obtain a Certificate of No Harassment for 191 Bedford Ave. and other buildings associated with Basic and McCray, or provide affordable housing as required under applicable regulations.
Under the settlements, Basic was required to complete its ongoing projects and dissolve by Aug. 26, 2026.
Huang and McCray are permanently barred from submitting documents to the DOB or conducting business related to the department, according to the OAG.
The settlements provide for judgments of $200,000 against Huang and $100,000 against McCray if their respective settlement terms are violated.
“The integrity and professionalism of state-licensed architects is an important pillar we rely on to promote safe and code-compliant construction in our city,” DOB Commissioner Ahmed Tigani said.
Tigani said the DOB’s Office of the Tenant Advocate first identified the fraudulent applications and that agency investigators assisted with the case.
The Attorney General’s Office said the matter was handled by its Housing Protection Unit, part of the Division for Social Justice.
