Brooklyn

The fight over the 12-story tower that developer Kenneth Wong is trying to build at 420 42nd Street in Sunset Park just escalated. Big time. At the urging of local residents, the Concerned Citizens of Greenwood Heights and Community Board 7, the DOB took a closer look at the self-certified plans stamped by architect James L. Robinson and issued a Stop Work Order (a 10-day letter of intent to revoke) after finding a reported 37 violations, including (a) failure to submit a full and accurate set of architectural plans, (b) failure to properly calculate the floor area ratio and building height for a 12-story building, and (c) failure to include a rear yard on site.

There’s been a lot of talk in the past few months by politicians about stepping up the enforcement and penalties on developers and architects who pull this kind of crap; this would be an excellent time for the DOB to show that it’s serious. If the Stop Work Order results only in a few minor fines and a few days’ delay, it will fail to provide any disincentive to other developers who thumb their noses at building regulations. When someone is caught doing this kind of thing on this scale, the penalty should be financially crippling and career-ending, as it should be for those who commit equally serious safety infractions.
420 42nd Street: This One Could Get Ugly [Brownstoner] GMAP P*Shark DOB
420 42nd Photo Gallery [CCGH]
Goodbye Sunset Park Views [YouTube]

420 42nd Street