Owner converted basement into additional rental apartment without permit. On December 26, 2012, an inspector from the Department of Buildings served a notice of violation charging that Pandora Realty LLC had without a permit created an apartment in the basement, complete with gas and waste lines. The illegal basement apartment on 201st Street in Queens was being rented at the time. Included with the notice was an order by Buildings to correct the violation by … <Read More>
OATH
OATH Trial Judge Recommends Denial of Loft Law Protection to Separated Couple
Board found the two-family requirement was not met. In 1983 Maria Nazor, an artist, leased the fourth floor of 544 West 27th Street in Chelsea for ten years from the owner. Nazor, with the owner’s consent, created two separate lofts each with their own kitchen, bathroom, and five independent studio spaces. Nazor occupied 4N and rented unit 4S and the studios to various tenants and artists at a prorated rent. Nazor married Peter Mickle, an … <Read More>
Residential Property in Brooklyn Used for Commercial Purposes Padlocked
Brooklyn property with two-family home was being used as contractor yard, junk salvage, and for commercial vehicle storage. Between December 2011 and April 2012, the City Department of Buildings sent inspectors three times to 2422 West 1st Street between Avenues X and Y in Gravesend, Brooklyn. The R4 residentially zoned lot is occupied by a two-story, two-family home. The inspectors, during their visits, observed in the property’s rear and side yards construction equipment and … <Read More>
ALJ orders closure of Bronx property due to illegal use
Occupants illegally used driveway and yard of residential property for automobile repair, salvage, and dead storage. Between 2009 and 2011 the Department of Buildings sent inspectors six times to 610 Mead Street in the Van Nest section of the Bronx. The R5-zoned property contained a two-story, two-family building with a one-car garage on the first floor. The inspectors observed over the course of their visits automobiles in various states of repair in the driveway, … <Read More>
Engineer barred for two years
Licensed engineer certified altered photos and submitted misleading application to Buildings. Buildings filed charges against engineer Leon St. Clair Nation after discovering he had certified the accuracy of altered photographs and submitted a false application to alter the second floor of a building which did not have a second floor. Buildings specifically charged St. Clair Nation with violating the City’s rules by knowingly or negligently submitting false or misleading documents.
After a hearing at OATH, … <Read More>