It seems that Queens continues to keep the city Department of Buildings very busy.
That was the story Tuesday night at the Community Board 9 meeting as DOB officials detailed how active the borough is with complaints, inspections and penalties.
“In the city, there were 278 access warrants [filed] last fiscal year,” said Anthony Iuliano, director of intergovernmental affairs for the DOB, referring to building-inspection documents, “Two hundred seventy two were in Queens.”
Iuliano also noted that illegal curb cuts remain an issue throughout the borough.
“[Homeowners] have to correct the condition,” he explained, adding that property owners can have curb cuts installed as long as they adhere to codes or resolutions. “Legalize it, or remove it.”
Still, the most pressing DOB issue in Queens is illegal dwelling conversions, Iuliano said. Of all borough building-condition complaints made via the city’s 311 system, more than half are for illegal conversions.
17 comments:
More than 90% of Queens do not file for any permits. This is going on over a decade. This is DOB fault they closed their eyes for their bodies. This is a custome now. Any time anyone calls they never see or find anything. On October 17, two trucks of demolition garbage from 129-16 14 ave College Point and this is not the first time. Check the complain history. All they get is don"t do it again. But they will do over and over again.
No permit for demolition
No permit for plumbing
No permit for electric
No permit for renovation .
So people are complaining....when is DOB going to DO something about it?
But WHAT is DOB actually doing in regards to both issues of illegal apartments and illegal curb cuts, which with curb cuts they do so very little.
This city is good at reporting on issues, the follow-through is another story.
Just check out Corona and Elmhurst - every other house has an illegal curb cut and paved-over front yard!
Flooshing might win in the illegal renovations/conversions round of My Neighborhood is Shittier Than Yours! We also have homier illegal hotels!
And let's not forget the Chinese rentals with absentee owners and no lawn work for YEARS! We seem to have more abandoned properties here. And phony churches with fictional daycare facilities! Flooshing definitely wins the money-laundering round!
Once or twice a decade city council responds to rising anger to pass yet another series of bills to 'combat the rising tide of anger' on this issue.
They give you the impression that they care and the problem is solved.
You go back to sleep. They go back to work .... with developers who are causing this problem.
So people are complaining....when is DOB going to DO something about it?
When you start to apply pressure on your elected officials and the Queens media to cover it properly.
Next question.
My number one complain IS the DOB
...a notoriously corrupt city agency.
DOB....department of bribe taking!
A guy is doing a full house restoration. Electric. ..plumbing. .....new boiler......etc.... has used 4 25ft dumpsters in a one family house. The workers are here as early as 8am on the weekends. And not a single permit is on display as is mandatory by law. I know. I was on the illegal converssion task force years ago. Do I want to start off as a bad neighbor from day one. This is in glorious whitestone/beechhurst.
Someone once suggested that all DOB employees get spot checked polygraphed to weed out the crooks. Since building is a mobbed up business and the DOB inspectors are likely in collusion with Uncle Vito, Sergei, or Tang...you might get a two fer on convictions...one shady inspector and one mobster. Does that make sense you law enforcement dopes?
DOB only gets corrected when the politicians put on pressure, election day is coming do something about it .
@ middle villager- I haven't heard anyone talking about this issue. Aside from voting our incumbents, is anyone actively campaigning for reform on this issue?
Speed cam takes a pic = violation & a fine and they collect on it
Red light cam takes a pic = violation & a fine and they collect
Don't feed the meter = a violation & a fine and they collect
Illegal conversion or work with no permits etc etc = maybe a violation in a small bunch of cases & fines levied but rarely collected. We send DOB the pics, they should issue the damn violations & COLLECT the fines. Maybe then we'd make a dent in the problem.
Start by voting out incumbents and keep doing it until somebody gets the message that they are in office to do the will of the people not line their pockets. Make it an issue! Go to community meetings and candidate nights to question them. The politicians think no one is paying attention and unfortunately many times they are right.
The only thing DOB is busy doing is answering the phone -- don't think they're logging the complaints and certainly aren't responding to any
It is unlikely to change, as Pols don't care about illegal rentals and housing conversions. Our own mayor is an illegal landlord! In their minds, where else will the cheap labor live?
The Brooklyn housing preservation alliance seems to have been formed recently to combat this in Brooklyn as well. They have a petition up on change.org, but it needs more signatures.
http://brooklynhpa.com/stop-illegal-home-conversions/
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