New Bill on Safety of Construction Sites Proposed By Council
From Ed Jaworski, Exec. VP, Madison-Marine-Homecrest Civic Association:
Several members of the board of the MMHCA met with Councilmember Lew Fidler last week to discuss neighborhood issues. Among the items was a bill soon to come before the City Council’s Committee on Housing and Building: Intro 1015-2009 (Safety and security of construction sites at which permitted work has been suspended). The full text of this bill is short and accessible at this link (may have to click on “text)”: http://legistar.council.nyc.gov/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=452630&GUID=0E725D6A-C9EC-433C-A9B2-5ACBD1FE1B2D&Search=&Options=
I recommend immediate, careful reading and considering this bill and its ramifications. It should come up for public hearing at City Hall very soon—at which we all may testify. CM Fidler suggested that we (that includes you) should share our thoughts with him, so that he is familiar with our views, since he is a member of the committee. You might consider the same with your Councilmember and the others listed on the bill.
Personally, I find it deficient, leaving questions, presenting holes to exploit, and giving yet another concession to real estate developers. Note within the list of sponsors that it is being introduced in conjunction with the Mayor—who, of course, is pro-development and will give developers every benefit.
I first learned of this bill via a story in the Real Estate section of the NY Times (Sun., July 19, page 1) under headline: Fighting Eyesores Before They Start. The headline is misleading since most of these dormant sites are already blights, even illegal. The story refers to penalties, but this version of the bill does not. The story quotes Council Speaker Christine Quinn about providing attractive incentives for builders. But, the bill says nothing about helping neighbors, or protecting their welfare and quality of life, or maintaining the character and value of blocks that have these neglected sites.