If you build it, the inspectors will come.That’s the message that the Department of Buildings is taking to heart thanks to a $2.5 million hike in the agency’s 2007 fiscal year budget – which includes $250,000 for an initiative that provides night and weekend inspections.
The evening and weekend inspection pilot program is an integral part in a series of steps taken by the DOB to improve its image and ramp up its enforcement policy.
DOB Plans Evening, Weekend Visits
5 comments:
It's a start.
Let's see if builders like Tommy Huang can wriggle through this.
That'll be the acid test!
If you build it, the inspectors will come and do what? I am going to take this opportunity to use the Huangs as an example. Only when the DOB offers up Tommy Huang and his two "chip off the old block" sons will they get any credibility from many of us.
This is how it has been going for the many owners of properties adjacent to a Huang project. You literally have to sit shotgun over the project for safety reasons. When we call the DOB and they occasionally respond to a complaint at one of the Huang's many projects, which could number 75 or so at any given time I'm told, it is obvious that he gets a heads-up call that their coming. Poof! Their out of there. How convenient! You have to catch them working is how it goes. When they issue him violations, many times the BIS website says affidavit accepted (ever wonder what that means)which probably grants them forgiveness. They rack up those ECB & DOB violations consistently and hardly ever show up to the hearings it would seem. They are so arrogant and sure of themselves they don't even need to pay the fines I suppose. They get certificates of occupancy on buildings that still have more than a few outstanding ECB & DOB violations. What's up with that! Did you know, suprisingly, the DOB went to the BSA to have five certificates that, I guess were erroneously issued (how did that happen), rescinded? Does that mean that the houses were unfit to live in? Those poor unsuspecting buyers. Perhaps the advocacy groups should educate the unsuspecting soles that are buying them, probably for cash. If he is having a hard time selling these real pieces of crap (you need only look at them) he offers owner financing.
Many of the Huang's victims are hardworking people. They can't afford the legal fees to fight them and they know that. The Huang's philosophy by the way is they can keep us all tied up in litigation for far too long and wear us down. Maybe their right, I don't know about his other victims, I personally feel like I have been "shovling shit against the tide" for the past few years.
We, the victims, have formed somewhat of a support system. We pool our efforts by sharing our thoughts and information. We educate ourselves about Building Code, Zoning Regulations, NYC Admin. Law, etc. It is unfortuate though that we have to spend huge amounts of money on attorneys and engineers' fees to assist us. Pretty sad that we have to resort to this isn't it. We could find better ways to spend our time too.
Our pleas to the overseeing City agencies seem, thus far, to have fallen on deaf ears. We have a bit of optimism left. The fight requires hopefully just a little more effort on our part. We could ultimately reach our goal.
It, by the way, is not easy to sit by and watch your home's value go down the tubes because the Huang's built one of their Queenscrap projects next door. It is certainly not warranted that we have to take our hard earned money and spend it on unnecessary litigation to fight them.
The Huang's are real pieces of Queenscrap. By the way, for what it gets us, Alice Huang is related to John Liu. That came from the horse's mouth. I needed to vent.
Thanks for the venue.
Big deal!
You used to be able to call the BEST Squad 24/7 to report any DOB violations (even on weekends) before that office was emasculated through a funding cut!
Now we're back where we started, I suppose!
"Anonymous " (unhappy with Huang )......
Please consider going to the FBI (anti corruption unit at Fed Plaza in Manhattan) with the Alice Huang/John Liu family connection! Where there's smoke, there could be fire!
We've gotten excellent results there before on similar cases!
Unhappy with Huang! That's an understatement. Thank you for your advice. We may have to head over there sooner rather than later. Any additional advice would be appreciated.
Post a Comment