The New York City Department of Buildings (NYDOB) says it recorded dozens of violations and collected hundreds of thousands of dollars in penalties in June.
In its June 2018 enforcement bulletin, the NYDOB says it provides “highlights of the agency’s actions to sanction and deter bad actors in the construction industry through the enforcement of safety laws and codes of conduct for construction professionals.”
NYDOB reported on June enforcement actions:
- A total of 37 violations and $446,800 in penalties, including daily penalties, issued for
illegal building alterations on 17 separate occasions; - A total of 38 violations and $359,300 in penalties, including daily penalties, issued for
illegal transient use of buildings at 11 different locations; - 50 violations and $590,000 in penalties issued for failure to safeguard construction sites
on 48 separate occasions; and - 12 violations and $135,000 in penalties issued to 11 different individuals for failure to
carry out duties as construction superintendents.
Below are individual enforcement highlights for June 2018:
- $51,200 in penalties issued to building owner Melissa Sosa for the illegal conversion of a single-family home into six transient use furnished rooms, one single room occupancy (SRO) dwelling, and one furnished apartment all with locking devices at 33-13 98th St., Queens;
- $48,200 in penalties issued to HBC Corona LLC for the illegal transient use of 36 different apartments at 32-45 112th St., Queens;
- $47,400 in penalties issued to 250 Agent LLC for the illegal conversion of the first floor and two duplex units at 248 South 3rd St., Brooklyn, into thirteen (SRO) dwellings;
- $25,000 in penalties issued to safety registrant LP Ciminelli Inc. for failure to safeguard a construction site at 135 Emerson Pl., Brooklyn, after a construction worker was injured in a fall and other unsafe conditions were observed at the site;
- $24,000 in penalties issued to building owner Besham Ramlagan for failure to provide
protection for an adjacent property during excavation operations at 365 East 197th St., Bronx, which caused an adjacent building’s rear yard to collapse; - $10,000 in penalties issued Guytec Steel Inc. for the unsafe operation of a crane at 8696 24th Ave., Brooklyn (a.k.a. 2350 Benson Ave.), where a crane was set up in the wrong position and the crane’s outrigger sank partially into the ground, causing hazardous conditions;
- $12,000 in penalties issued to registered general contractor Ideal Builders &
Construction for inadequate housekeeping, after construction material stored on the roof caused a partial collapse of the building at 31-25 28th Rd., Queens; - $10,000 in penalties issued to registered general contractor M&R Construction Group Inc. for the failure to safeguard a construction site at 88 Lexington Ave., Brooklyn, due to the contractor’s failure to notify the gas company before beginning excavation work, which lead to the severing of an active gas line;
- $8,000 in penalties issued to Skanska USA Building Inc. for the non-code compliant
installation of a sidewalk shed at 370 Jay S., Brooklyn, where a pedestrian was injured by falling debris; - $8,000 in penalties issued to Hammer Asset Management Inc. for illegal work without a permit at a single-family house at 226-04 145 Ave., Queens, after a US postal carrier was struck by falling construction debris from the illegal gut renovation of the building;
- The voluntary surrender of Martin J. Dooley’s special rigger license and superintendent of construction registration following a fatal construction accident at 61 9th Ave., Manhattan;
- $50,000 in penalties issued to 100 Division Street Realty Corp., for displaying an illegal outdoor advertising sign in a prohibited zone without a permit and without department-mandated decals, for failure to have a licensed sign hanger erect the sign, and for failing to register the sign at 100 Division St., Manhattan;
- $10,000 in penalties issued to building owner Stavros Alatsas for displaying an illegal advertising sign at 750 3rd Ave., Brooklyn within 200 feet of an arterial highway and for
failure to register the sign; and - $4,800 in penalties issued to America Multi-Cinema Inc. for displaying four outdoor
accessory signs without permits at 2310 Broadway, MN.
