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]
Don’t worry about me and my license. I fought to get it and I will fight to keep it.
watch out, scarano – if you keep harassing those who post comments about you, you will end up in bigger trouble than just getting your license revoked. Still have the threatening emails you sent me – so does my lawyer. stop being a fool and let people use their first amendment rights to write what they want to.
Alright now. First of all I don’t believe that you are really Mr. Scarano. Unless you are as stupid as you’ve shown your self to be.
If you are then why don’t You give us all your E-mail address so we can have a “personal conversation”.
Lastly I am sure many of us would love to come out of the shadows but we can’t because you have managed to block just about every square inch of sun from our lives with you “Small Developements”
Mr S
Believe me I know more than you think and that is the reason you would love to harrass me. But I won’t give you that pleasure. Besides what you don’t realize is that I am not your enemy. It’s the scum that you have been dealing with that will do you in.
Don’t you know that when you make a deal with the Devil, You never win.
I may be the ultimate NIMBY having worked for developers for 12 years and am now fighting against them in the SSlope but the architects that I worked with over the years can’t really be demonized for exploiting loopholes in the zoning rules. Especially when the government (The NYC DoB) has bent over backwards and jumped through hoops to allow questionable building to get built. That is what they are essentially in “business” for; To streamline the whole building process. Self certification is an example of this. What is disturbing is that the DoB is also one of our only friends in making sure the public is protected against unsafe building practices. The failure in the system is the DoBs inability to balance these two responsibilities. As for architects being evil, we are talking about designing condos not the gas chambers at Auschwitz. The DoB needs to clean house AGAIN and start being proactive instead of reactionary when it comes to its rules and regulations. They can start by introducing their right hand to their left.
The way the laws are written and enforced is similar to the IRS. How many of you would be pissed at your accountant if they didn’t use every possible deduction against your income taxes LEGALLY available to you? The IRS allows and even promotes tax policies that encourage corporations to move offshore, while at the same time auditing everyone else.
misguided,
How appropriate.
Why don’t you come out of the shadows and post your real email address so I can have a personal conversation with you about the facts you no nothing about.
Talk about misguided!
Do you think anybody (including your associates) really gives a shit about you or the crap you’ve put up all over this City. Your Associates will stab you in the back to protect there own illegal acts and your shit ass structures will all be nothing but dust when it’s all said and done.
By the way Ten Eyck is five times better looking and layed out than the trashy little shacks in it’s shadows.
Poor little petty concerns of a few misguided medicated individuals. Why don’t you get off your meds for a few weeks and start to contribute to society something useful instead of your rantings which are getting boring already.