The Past Starts Catching Up With Scarano
As the paper of record, it’s about time that The Times took on a topic weightier than house tours and selling prices. This weekend, the paper’s real estate section shone a bright light on the issue of architect self-certification and the potential for abuse. The poster child for the Times’ story was Robert Scarano who’s…
As the paper of record, it’s about time that The Times took on a topic weightier than house tours and selling prices. This weekend, the paper’s real estate section shone a bright light on the issue of architect self-certification and the potential for abuse. The poster child for the Times’ story was Robert Scarano who’s made a big business out of squeezing every last drop of FAR–and sometimes more, the paper argues–on his road to becoming the small-time developers’ best friend. The impetus for the article was the DOB’s recent petition accusing Scarano of knowingly ignoring building codes or zoning rules in self-certifying 25 building projects in Brooklyn (one of which is 78 Ten Eyck Street, above). In 17 of those cases, the DOB contends, Scarano signed off on more FAR than was legally allowed. One of his most common techniques? Widespread use–and failure to include in FAR calculations–of mezzanine levels and basement spaces. On average, The Times, concludes, Scarano makes a third of the usable square footage magically disappear. The result for Scarano is that he may become the first architect to have his self-certification privileges revoked; the result for other architects is that their sign-offs will be under greater scrutiny, helped in part by recent staff additions at the DOB.
How Big Is Too Big? [NY Times]
Scarano Projects Cited [NY Times]
mimimi,
I am glad to see that so many agree with me. For the most part.
The only thing that is “poorly constructed” is the things that have been going up over the last 3 years.
I respect your efforts to fight the fight. So I hope you will respect mine.
Keep in mind that we are dealing with people who have no respect for anything and bureaucrats who are much the same. With that in mind it is sometimes necassary to act a little crazy in order to get the people responsible for enforcing the laws to get off there butts.
“You have the truth on your side”
Enough said.
Katan,
I agreee with your side of the issue vis-a-vis non-contextual development in the South Slope/Greenwood area and have been fighting the fight with my neighbors there. However, your arguments tend to be so poorly constructed and presented that they come off as ineffective, frankly even harmful to tha cause, I’m afraid. The over-the-top tone of your comments does nothing to help you make the case. You have the truth on your side. You don’t need the extreme and often inaccurate hyperbole.
Katan,
Everyone is entitled to their opinion and 1st right amendment… even the clinically insane.
Hey Anonymouse,
I ain’t your “Buddy”. And I might be a “Fuckin’ Nut” But who the fuck are you to say. The fact of the matter is that you know I’m right and sometimes the truth hurts especially when it’s slapped in your face by a nut like me. So you would rather throw your pent up frustrations at someone like me than admit that you and your lazy ass friends are the problem and not the solution.
That’s alright with me.
I know that I am saying and doing what’s right.
You Scarano, Radusky, Hornstien, and Katan can “Rot in hell” together.
Anyone like graffiti? Cuz graffiti be my art. And I don’t wear a suit. It’s against the rules you could conversate. It speaks to millions a people. Aight maybe not millions, but a lot. I like it. It’s off the chhhhaaain. Brooklyn need mo’ graffitti. Take one of dis buildings that you don’t like, maybe a little somethin somethin on there make it look nice. Thas the real art in New York. Not some picture of lines and organs and shit. Holla atcyha boy. Show some respect to the Brookyn-born desi.
So, are suits not cool? What about a purple suit? Creative, no?
Katan Rot’s In Hell,
You’re a fucking nut. Murderers in Suits? Get another cause, buddy. Much bigger things to be hypersensitive about. Like the crime (like, er, real murders) in Brooklyn that have more than likely gone down b/c of a change in neighborhood climate (i.e. new developments). I understand Scarano’s under some scrutiny here, but don’t get your pants all wet. No one’s murderere and no one destroyed Brooklyn, blah, blah, blah. Hang up your hat buddy, you have proven to be insane (I self certify that).
All you “brownstoners” think Scarano is the devil. Seriously, people, get a life. You’re all trying to preserve this gem that is Brooklyn, and are so anti-new developement–modernism, post-modernism, large-scale, small-scale, whatever. The real irony is that none of you are from Brooklyn originally. You grew up somewhere in the Midwest and have lived in Brooklyn (yada, yada, yada) for 12 years now, so naturally it’s yours (please), and b/c you have so much free time on your hands, you protest to preserve the little gem you discovered–Brooklyn. The people who actually grew up in Brooklyn–like me-like the changes. We resent that your opinion is wrongfully used as the Brooklyn-wide opinion. If you don’t like change, go back to Midwest, where I’m sure things are exactly the way you left it: racism, segregation, small-minded bigotry, bubble existence. Here in New York, in Brooklyn, we change, we are open, and we prefer our neighborhoods cleaner and safer. If you are looking for what you originally found, what you term “rustic” and what Brooklynites term “wildly unsafe”, head further in to East New York. Think you’ll find “rustic” there.
of course that’s not Scarano, some time after 11:30 almost 12 this morning he was coming out of Commissioner Mossad’s Office at Brooklyn DOB