By Jeremy Walsh
The city Department of Buildings has been busy in 2008 and nowhere more than in Queens, which had a 67.2 percent spike in the number of stop-work orders issued at job sites to lead the five boroughs.
Between Jan. 1 and June 15, inspectors issued 2,275 stop-work orders in the borough, up from 1,361 for the same period of 2007.
The orders were on the rise in most of the other boroughs as well. Brooklyn had 2,063 stop-work orders during the first half of the year compared with 1,246 in 2007, a 65.6 percent increase. Manhattan received 1,232 stop-work orders in the first half of 2008, compared with 980 in 2007, a 25.7 percent increase. Staten Island saw 174 stop-work orders issued through June 15 compared with 151 for the same stretch last year, a 15.2 percent increase.
The Bronx was the only borough to see a decrease, with 204 through June 15 compared with 371 for the same period of 2007, a 45 percent decrease.
The boost in stop-work orders in Manhattan might be attributed to the two fatal crane collapses that occurred earlier this year. In Queens, however, the increase accompanies a building boom in western Queens. In Long Island City alone, 38 new buildings are under construction, many of them luxury high-rise condominums.
The DOB has chalked up the spike in Queens violations to a dedicated stop-work order patrol.
The patrol, which is active across the city, was formed in Queens in 2006, Buildings Department spokeswoman Caroline Sullivan said.
“It partners inspectors with Department of Finance sheriffs and they go and see if people are working after hours, and if they are, they issue stop work orders and issue follow-up violations,” she said.
One Queens elected official remained skeptical of what the violations signified.
“Construction is like the Wild Wild West in this city,” said City Councilman Tony Avella (D-Bayside), a frequent critic of the DOB. “I think it's a good step forward that the inspectors are issuing more stop-work orders, but it's a baby step and not a giant step.”
Avella questioned whether inspectors are properly interpreting the building and zoning codes when they inspect sites and do not find violations.
Reach reporter Jeremy Walsh by e-mail at jwalsh@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 154.
