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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PR- 273-07
August 2, 2007

MAYOR BLOOMBERG SIGNS LEGISLATION ESTABLISHING STAGGERED CYCLES FOR BUILDING FACADE INSPECTION

Remarks by Mayor Bloomberg at a Public Hearing on Local Laws

"The next bill before me today is Introductory Number 550-A, sponsored by Council Members Garodnick, Brewer, Gennaro, Gentile, Gonzalez, Jackson, James, Koppell, Nelson, Vann, Weprin, White, Seabrook, Mark-Viverito, Vacca, Martinez, Arroyo, Dickens, Lappin, Avella, Gerson, Liu, Sears, Gallagher and Oddo.  This bill directs the Department of Buildings to establish staggered cycles for required inspections of building façades.

"Under current law, building façade inspection reports are due once every five years. As this deadline approaches, the owners of the approximately 12,000 buildings covered by this law engage in a mad dash to 1) hire the same limited group of professionals to inspect their buildings, 2) to secure the same equipment needed for inspections such as sidewalk sheds to protect pedestrians, and 3) to engage the same limited number of companies to make any necessary to repairs.  The uniform deadline also puts an undue administrative burden on the Buildings Department to accept and review the 12,000 filings within a few-week period.

"Introductory Number 550-A requires the Department of Buildings to promulgate rules no later than January 1, 2009 to establish inspection cycles for facade inspections.  When fully implemented, Introductory Number 550-A will ease the burden on both owners and the Department of Buildings.  It will enhance enforcement by allowing the Department of Buildings to avoid the surge in filings that occurs every five years, and to spread out the review of filings and inspections of buildings more evenly over each cycle.  

"I would like to thank Department of Buildings Commissioner Patricia Lancaster and her staff for their work on this bill.  I would also like to thank the Council for its approval of this legislation."







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