New York City’s Law Department filed criminal charges against a building owner who it alleges paid no heed to warnings about a crumbling facade that killed a two-year-old child last year.
City officials said that Esplanade Venture Partnership and its principal, Alexander Scharf, disregarded city maintenance laws that require the exterior of buildings taller than six stories be regularly inspected by a licensed professional. Scharf could face a fine of up to $25,000, a year in jail, or both.
An engineer, Maqsood Faruqi, also faces charges. The city alleges that he signed off on the building's safety without actually inspecting it.
City officials said that despite receiving a recommendation to repair cracks, Esplanade made only the most basic repairs and ignored the rest of the building's disintegrating exterior. Officials intend for the charges to remind other building owners of their legal responsibility to maintain buildings.
Related Stories
Codes and Standards | Apr 8, 2021
Sensors used in tunable lighting systems found to have high reliability
DOE study investigated items used to control lumen depreciation, chromaticity shifts, and changes in drivers.
Codes and Standards | Apr 7, 2021
Red tape ruined the U.K.’s home retrofit program
Lessons learned could help US avoid that fate.
Codes and Standards | Apr 6, 2021
Lendlease achieves net-zero carbon in Boston, Chicago multifamily portfolio
New projects in New York, Los Angeles on track to reach goal.
Codes and Standards | Apr 5, 2021
Specification for sliding door, lift and slide roller assemblies updated
Addresses market trend toward heavy sliding doors.
Codes and Standards | Apr 5, 2021
Construction employment rebounds in March following February drop
Rising costs, supply-chain woes, and cancellations threaten outlook.
Codes and Standards | Apr 2, 2021
Intl. Code Council’s new development system could be a brake on building decarbonization
Local governments lose influence on creating new energy efficiency rules.
Codes and Standards | Apr 1, 2021
Cuomo proposes strengthened NY building codes to boost efficiency
Would apply to appliance, equipment efficiency and reduce water use.
Codes and Standards | Mar 25, 2021
N.C.’s Outer Banks’ communities struggle for ways to keep the sea from overrunning them
Tax hikes for beach replenishment offer temporary solution.
Codes and Standards | Mar 24, 2021
Perkins&Will’s D.C. office pledges to eliminate embodied carbon in commercial interiors
Firm aims to reach goal on all designs by 2030.
Codes and Standards | Mar 23, 2021
The 15-minute city may not work in much of North America
Segregated neighborhoods and car-centric cities may not adapt to the European model.