Queens Chronicle Editorial: Beefing Up Code Enforcement
Friday, 22 December 2006
Beefing Up Code Enforcement
Every week, itâs the same story with a different headline. City fails to enforce building codes in Glendale. Controversial developer halted in Maspeth. Builder blasted for shoddy work in Bayside. Itâs no secret that the city has failed to keep pace with developmentâand that, time and again, the consequence has been unmonitored construction that leaves residents with oversized eyesores and slipshod structures in their community.
Beefing Up Code Enforcement
12/21/2006
Every week, itâs the same story with a different headline. City fails to enforce building codes in Glendale. Controversial developer halted in Maspeth. Builder blasted for shoddy work in Bayside. Itâs no secret that the city has failed to keep pace with developmentâand that, time and again, the consequence has been unmonitored construction that leaves residents with oversized eyesores and slipshod structures in their community.
With development in Queens continuing at a healthy clip, the problems show few signs of abating. This year alone, the number of citywide building code violations rose 6.2 percent, with construction related infractions constituting most of that increase. That uptick coincided with a 5.5 percent rise in the number of construction applications submitted to the Department of Buildingsâand an astounding 33.7 percent jump in buildings related 311 complaints.