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The BSA has made a couple of decisions this week that aren’t exactly endearing them to neighborhood groups. First, they ruled in favor of allowing the Scarano’s infamous Finger Building to rise to its full glory of 17 stories (per Curbed), despite vehement neighborhood opposition. And now it has given the thumbs up to a six-story, 25-unit condo at 1610 Avenue S in Sheepshead Bay, an equally unpopular project. This photo, by the way, is from Google Streetview, so we don’t know how updated it is, but chances are it doesn’t look much different now: “The developer, Samuel Kahan, has not done major work on the building since spring 2006, a year and a half before the Buildings Department belatedly withdrew approval for it, prompting his appeal to the board,” reports the NY Times. Objections go beyond issues of size and scale: slabs of the foundation were found missing, paperwork lost or unfiled, safety tests unconfirmed. So why the BSA’s turnaround? Here’s what the BSA said: No comment.
Sheepshead Condo Project May Proceed [NY Times]


What's Your Take? Leave a Comment

  1. longtimelistener:

    You are clearly new to such forums. Because someone writes a critical piece does not mean one is angry. Your question regarding his anger is a newb misunderstanding that isn’t really worthy of a response.

    In this case, Benson wrote a very well reasoned (and written) response to the staff’s interpretation of this news story. If you disagree with it, why don’t you respond to the points he raised rather than your perceived interpretation of his emotions?

  2. My guess is that the reason finger building went forward is due to political pressure on DOB from groups financed by the developer. That’s just a guess though. In my experience, the DOB is not about deciding each case on its merits, it’s about rubber stamping destructive development for developers. It’s also about the personal agendas of its own board members. Community input is never considered.