CITY HALL — THE NUMBER OF SIDEWALK SHEDS COULD DECREASE if the City Council votes, as expected on Wednesday, to approve a package of five bills dealing with these construction scaffolds, Crain’s New York Business reports.
The bills reform Local Law 11, implemented during the 1990s, which requires landlords to inspect façades every five years and erect the protective – but unappealing – green plywood sheds for the inspections. As inspections and other repairs dragged, the number of sheds increased, with 8,500 of them now surrounding buildings throughout the city.
The headliner bill, from Manhattan Councilmember Keith Powers, would shorten permits for new sheds to three months, down from one year, with renewals granted for financial hardships or other extenuating matters. Some of the other legislation would allow significant extensions between inspections, contingent on the results of a safety study, as well as pushing aesthetic improvements, like altering the designs of the sheds, allowing more colors than just dark green, and doubling the mandatory minimum lighting.
Another bill would significantly increase the fines and penalties (ranging from $5,000 to $20,000) for failing to complete façade repairs on time.
✰✰✰
