Queens Building Up Fast

Construction projects throughout the city continue to be on the rise, with Queens leading the way in the number of new building projects taking place throughout the city.
According to 2005 New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) statistics compiled through June, the total number of building permits issued appears to be up slightly citywide compared to the record-number of permits issued this time last year.
“All of our borough offices are very, very busy,” said Jennifer Givner, a DOB spokesperson. “Volume in general is up in this department across the board.”
Through June, Queens construction permits for new buildings as well as total permits appear to be on pace for similar numbers as the previous year, with the DOB issuing just over 13,000 total permits, including nearly 1,200 permits for new buildings.
The 1,200 Queens new building permits issued through June, also appears to be on par with the 2,500 the DOB issued for the entire 2004 calendar year. However, that number was a sharp increase from 2003, when the DOB issued only 1,700 permits.
Citywide, the number of Queens permits for new buildings continues to dwarf the other four boroughs with nearly 40 percent of new building construction permits issued belonging to Queens. Brooklyn had the second highest number of new building permits with 853, nearly 350 less than Queens.
Of the over 100,000 construction permits the DOB issued throughout the city in 2004, only six percent were issued for new buildings, while nearly 90 percent of the permits were for ordinary repairs or minor changes or modifications in a building that did not affect the health, fire or structural safety of a building.
In addition, these types of permits do not require the applicant to apply for a Certificate of Occupancy, which is required for new building permits or projects that deal with major repairs or renovations.
The total number of permits issued by the DOB has increased drastically throughout the past 10 years, both citywide as well as throughout Queens.
The total number of permits issued throughout the city has increased by more than 40,000 from 1994-2004, while the number for Queens has increased by nearly 15,000 during that same period.
pdavis@queenscourier.com