Gentile drafts bill to crack down on developers gutting buildings
Alarmed at the increasing incidents in Bay Ridge in which developers are buying one-family homes, gutting the structures and then turning them into multiple unit dwellings in an apparent violation of the city’s building code, Councilman Vincent Gentile said he is drafting legislation aimed at helping inspectors gain access to properties for the purpose of determining if laws are being broken.
“Public safety will always be my top priority in addressing concerns about illegal conversions taking place in our community. My staff and I continue to work closely with the FDNY, the Department of Buildings and the Mayor’s special multi-agency Housing Access Task Force to crack down on dangerous illegal conversions,” Gentile (D-Bay Ridge-Dyker Heights-Bensonhurst) told the Brooklyn Eagle in an email on June 23. “On the legislative side, I am drafting a bill that would allow the Department of Buildings to use circumstantial evidence when determining if a building has been illegally converted. My bill would allow inspectors who couldn’t gain access to still cite a building owner if circumstantial evidence of illegal conversion – such as too many mailboxes, doorbells, garbage cans or utility connections – was found.”
Under current city law, inspectors from the city’s Department of Buildings (DOB) often face obstacles when attempting to gain access to buildings suspected of being in violation of building codes.