LiMandri's DOB

Hey, remember back when Patricia Lancaster was in charge of the DOB? We’ve tried to forget those days too, but they’re the unmentioned backdrop looming behind the Times’ quickie interview of Robert LiMandri, who took over at the DOB after Lancaster went the way in April ’08. Some key bits of info and quotes: In 2010 the DOB had slightly fewer inspectors because of budget cuts but “We put G.P.S. tracking on our 337 inspectors, so we know where our people are,” and “Permits for new buildings and major alterations fell around 19 percent last year, to 13,000 from 16,000. But permits for small-scale alterations — like moving a wall — rose 6 percent, to nearly 103,000. People are still doing smaller work, and that drives the economy as well. We’re starting to see pockets of demolitions. We just had seven or eight sites in the last couple of weeks. When you see demolitions come back, it’s a leading indicator that development is coming.” So the question is whether LiMandri’s leaner, meaner DOB is now really equipped for an upswing in construction, should one actually occur.
The 30-Minute Interview: Robert D. LiMandri [NY Times]