What to Know
- New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced on Monday that his administration is cracking down on sidewalk sheds that are up for far too long around the city.
- Deputy Mayor for Operations, overseeing New York City's infrastructure portfolio, Meera Joshi revealed that property owners have a time limit before the first set of penalties: 90 days.
- The city also wants more aesthetically pleasing sheds for a brighter appearance, as well as the use of netting instead of wooden planks.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced on Monday that his administration is cracking down on scaffoldings and construction sheds that are up for far too long around the city.
Deputy Mayor for Operations, overseeing New York City's infrastructure portfolio, Meera Joshi revealed that property owners have a time limit before the first set of penalties.
“Here’s the plan," Joshi said. "Once the shed goes up the clock starts ticking!!! At 90 days the first penalties. You have to act."
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City officials estimate there are more than 9,000 sidewalk sheds citywide, with the average time they have been up being around 500 days. Because of this, the city is doubling inspections and raising fines. The current maximum fine sits at $6,000 a month.
According to Adams, Department of Buildings Commissioner Jimmy Oddo will be the scaffolding czar -- tasked with levying fines but also helping landlords that can’t afford repairs.
“For those who are in a financial situation where they can’t make ends meet we have to get them financial resources," Oddo said.
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The city also wants more aesthetically pleasing sheds for a brighter appearance, as well as the use of netting instead of wooden planks. This is under consideration at the Queens Courthouse where scaffolding has been up for six years.
So when will New Yorkers notice a difference?
According to Borough President Mark Levine it will be soon.
“Before 2023 is out we are gonna have started to bend the curve on this," Levine said.
Mayors past and present have made promises regarding tackling scaffolding that have been up for far too long, but promises never came to fruition.
Adams has said that the city has "normalized" these types of sheds throughout the city, which he deemed as unacceptable.
New Yorkers hope this time the city’s crackdown takes hold.
“It’s annoying! You can’t even see the buildings," Olivarria said.
The city also opening a design competition — a request for proposals to design a better scaffolding. The idea being that because of safety reasons there will always be a need for sheds. However, that doesn't mean they can't have a sleeker look.
