Thursday, February 14, 2008

Crackdown on self-certification abuse

The Department of buildings says there is going to be a crackdown "on outlaw architects" by making them apply for the right to self-certify their work and allowing a "weeding out" of those that have abused the system in the past.

DOB Cracking Down on 'Outlaw Architects,' Etc.

Haven't we heard this before?

Photo from Curbed

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

The other allows suspension and revocation of self-certification for those filing false or noncompliant permits. Everybody else that plays nice can continue to grade their own papers.

Let's rephrase: Everybody else that has not been caught can continue to grade their own papers.

How about going after false filings that do not match work in place? What about this fraud?

Anonymous said...

If Huang and Scarano
are put on top of the outlaw list,
it'll be a good start.

But these slippery fish will continue
to wriggle out of their problems as usual.
no doubt!

Anonymous said...

Prime Target: Huang's ill-conceived (makes no sense) project on 223rd Street in Bayside.

Description: Complex project containing four McMansions, 3 garages, some serious retaining walls and a private road. Self-certified by Angelo Costa, Architect and various engineers.

Issues: Building Code and Zoning. Plagued with serious safety issues and problems from the very beginning.

Zoning: Totally out of character to say the very least and very questionable.

The DOB and investigative agencies have said over and over again that Huang is on their radar screen. Exactly what does that mean?

Presently, they have no valid permits. The permits have been expired for a long period of time. Why haven't they renewed them? Perhaps, something is seriously wrong? What are the objections? Apparently, it is a big secret. The politicians have not been able to get the answers to these questions. Why not? Do they need to go to the BSA? If so, why haven't they? Could it be that they have serious zoning and building code violations?

The project is far from finished. Matter fact, the structures seem to be deteriorating. The site has been apparently vandalized on a number of occasions.

The area has since been down-zoned. This one-lot horrendous, totally out-of- character, project which is supposedly built on a "through-lot" (yet to be proven) is a fiasco. Two of the buildings surprisingly have construction sign-offs. How did that happen? The mapped "private road" called Mia Drive does not presently appear to exist. It is believed that to this day the required drywells were not installed. It does not seem to have not been built according to DOT specifications, has no, presumably required, street lighting and the grade was significantly raised against zoning rules creating a dangerous situation.

What say you?

Anonymous said...

OK Lancaster. You'll have to sic the cops on me too.

I believe that you are a god damn liar and that what you've set up is still one more barrier that a kickback can cure in a phone call and an envelope with cash.

Anonymous said...

would you know the cross avenue on that 223rd street fiasco in Bayside? I'd like to go over and have a look at it. thnx

Queens Crapper said...

Address is 39-39 223rd St.

Anonymous said...

There are four addresses for the Bayside project:

39-39 223rd Street
223-19 Mia Drive
223-15 Mia Drive
223-09 Mia Drive

Anonymous said...

thnx, both.
Will check the place out tomorrow and let you know my impression, which will probably be :-O