Eyesore sidewalk scaffolding could be gone faster under Adams’ new rules

Jul 09, 2023

Thousands of scaffolds widely regarded as eyesores in New York City may come down quicker under a plan unveiled Monday by Mayor Adams.

Under current rules, building owners are required to erect scaffolding when conditions exist that could result in debris falling from a building’s facade. The rules grant owners wide latitude around how long scaffolds can remain up and some become part of the cityscape for longer than a decade.

For many landlords, it’s less expensive to erect the scaffolds and delay repairs than it is to do the repairs in a timely manner.

Adams is hoping to turn that incentive structure on its head. On Monday he laid out a roadmap to accomplishing that goal, including regulating how long scaffolds can remain up and imposing aesthetic requirements for the temporary structures.

“City rules are incentivizing property owners to leave sheds up and put off critical work,” Adams said at a press conference in Chelsea. “Shed” is often used interchangeably with “scaffold” to describe the structures.

“Most sheds stay up for longer than a year, and some have darkened our streets for more than a decade. We have normalized the sheds all over our city, and that is unacceptable.”

Adams held his announcement outside a Seventh Ave. building that had scaffolding up for about 20 months prior to the press conference. According to Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, the scaffolding came down after the property owner got wind of Adams’ announcement.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams speaks during a press conference in front of a building on Seventh Ave. in Chelsea, Manhattan on Monday, July 24, 2023. (Luiz C. Ribeiro/for New York Daily News)

Right now, there are about 9,000 permitted scaffolds in use throughout the city, according to city data. Those scaffolds, on average, have been up for 497 days and span nearly 400 miles, or about 3% of the city’s sidewalk space. Last year, the city’s Independent Budget Office revealed that the use of scaffolding on city streets has tripled over the past 20 years.

Under the Adams plan, fines would start kicking in 90 days after a scaffold is first permitted and could run between $6,000 to $10,000 per month, depending on the building’s location. Landlords with scaffolds in Midtown Manhattan, Downtown Brooklyn, Long Island City and on the Grand Concourse in the Bronx would be subject to $10,000 penalties.

“Once a sidewalk shed goes up, the clock starts ticking. At 90 days, the first penalties are issued. So you have to act,” Deputy Mayor Meera Joshi said. “Every month thereafter, until repairs are complete, we’ll issue another penalty.”

A sign warning of vehicle restrictions is blocked by scaffolding on 14th St. near Third Ave. Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2019 in Manhattan, New York. (Barry Williams/for New York Daily News)

Buildings Department Commissioner Jimmy Oddo said the city does not intend to be inflexible when issuing fines, though, noting that when repair work begins, “we’ll have conversations about the fines that have been issued.”

The penalties outlined by Joshi and Oddo would require City Council approval. While the mayor’s relationship with the Council has been frosty lately, Adams has at least two supporters on the lawmaking body, Gale Brewer and Keith Powers, who were on hand to back Adams in his announcement Monday.

Brewer suggested there could be negotiations over the finer points of the plan. Mentioning church and synogogue owners, she noted that some landlords might lack cash to comply with building-repair timelines.

Brewer said she was heartened that the administration included in its plan a low-interest loan program to provide aid for struggling small-property owners.

Jay Martin, executive director of the Community Housing Improvement Program, pointed to possible sticking points in Adams’ plan.

“Scaffolding decreases the desirability of apartments and retail space to potential tenants and causes safety concerns,” he said. “But let’s be clear about why sheds remain in place for long periods of time.The current system is reliant on prompt response from the Department of Buildings, which historically has not happened. Reforms that allow for alternative methods to survey a building facade and a process to more rapidly get approval and advice on necessary facade repair are vital steps towards getting sheds down.”

New York City Councilmember Gail Brewer speaks during a press conference in Chelsea, Manhattan on Monday. (Luiz C. Ribeiro/for New York Daily News)

Other measures laid out by Adams include replacing scaffolds with netting in cases were it’s safe to do so. Safety netting for facade work is currently permitted but rarely used due to a lack of standardized netting designs, according to city officials. To encourage the use of netting, the Buildings Department plans to issue specific rules pertaining to its use.

That agency is also planning to request new proposals for more aesthetically pleasing scaffold designs to replace the pipe-and-plywood structures most New Yorkers have become inured to. The updated designs will require better lighting and allow for art to be placed on scaffold panels, according to city officials.