Brennan on the Frontlines of DOB Reform Fight

It’s no secret that the DOB’s oversight of construction sites during the building boom has left a lot to be desired, a state of affairs that directly or indirectly contributed to the recent deadly scene in Midtown. It’s also no secret that lawmakers have pressed the Bloomberg administration to reform the overstretched department—and Brooklyn Assemblyman Jim Brennan, in particular, has been demanding change for a long time now. This week the Voice takes a look at how Brennan introduced a bill last year requiring the DOB to reinspect hazardous violations within 60 days, a bill that Mayor Bloomberg convinced Governor Spitzer to veto. Of course, the problems at construction sites in a development-happy city run deeper than simply ensuring better DOB oversight, as the article notes:

Essentially, current buildings-department regulations create a race between aggrieved citizens and corner-cutting developers: Neighbors have to muster all their energy to stop illegal work, while builders try to outrun them, getting foundations in the ground and walls up before anyone throws a red flag. Then the developers’ lawyers go to work, arguing that so much money has already been expended that civic decency should allow them to continue. In one of the few local victories, residents of a block on 15th Street in south Park Slope challenged developers who had won approval for an 11-story condo tower—even though its plans violated city rules. Neighbors hired their own top-notch lawyer to beat the scoundrels at their own game. The cost: $150,000 in legal fees. “You can get massive involvement from politicians and residents and stop rogue projects,” said Brennan. “But there is no independent legal process that triggers compulsory better performance from builders.”

Brennan has reintroduced his bill, which, following the eastside crane accident, stands a better chance of becoming law.
City Hall Ignored the Hazards of the Building Boom [Village Voice]
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