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Despite the city's crackdown, the sunless Upper West Side remains covered in endless scaffolding, with new cabins popping up almost as quickly as old ones are being torn down.
West End Avenue has had 19 scaffold sheds removed since the Post exposed it as the city's worst unsightly built area nine months ago. But in the meantime, five more scaffolding huts appeared, and a strange game of “whack-a-mole'' was played. There were only four unobstructed blocks in an area that spanned about 40 blocks.
“It's like having a bridge in your tooth. You don't want to live there, but you get used to it,” said Carmen Anderson, 54, an Upper West Sider. She says she has lived in the area for many years and has lost her footing.
“Over the past year or so, we've noticed that some of the scaffolding on West End Avenue has been removed, because suddenly certain blocks that haven't had sunlight in a long time are now getting sunlight. '' said Anderson. “But when I take my daily walk, the overall effect is the same. They are ubiquitous and have been for years.”
When the Post visited West End Avenue in April, there were 57 shacks lining the sidewalk between 107th and 72nd Streets, a block of less than 2 miles of jogging with no scaffolding on either side of the street. There was only
In a recent visit, the Post counted 43 huts currently standing between the erected and the downed huts, but only three more blocks have been completely off the scaffolding in nine months. It is said that it was.
“It's a constant game of whack-a-mole,” said local resident Mike McDermott.
“Sometimes politicians get involved, the news gets involved, and you see scaffolding come down that didn't really need to be there, but it's always because new scaffolding comes up. It's a temporary solution. We can't stop it,” said the 70-year-old.
The West End's not-so-quick recovery has seen Mayor Eric Adams declare the scaffolding issue a priority for his administration, launching the “Take the Sheds Down” plan and increasing the deadline for scaffolding permits from 12 months to 90 days. More than a year has passed since the passing of the bill to shorten the period. Violation carries a maximum fine of $10,000.
Adams' efforts certainly seem to have had a small impact throughout the city. According to city records in April, there were 9,068 active cabin permits across the five boroughs, but that number had dropped to 8,843 as of January.
Still, these cabins have covered more than 390 cumulative miles, which is more distance than city records showed nine months ago.
The city's first anti-skipper law was implemented in the 1980s after a student at Barnard College in Upper Manhattan was killed by falling debris from a building. Since then, Local Law No. 11 requires the exterior inspection of all buildings over six stories and requires the erection of a protective shed whenever repairs are deemed necessary, regardless of the scope or risk of repair. It was done.
These requirements resulted in scaffolding falling down and quickly coming back up, leaving some buildings covered for years at a time.
Repair costs are often expensive, and this factor is compounded when co-ops are involved and residents pay for the costs. This has led some landlords to choose to pay fines for leaving their sheds longer than allowed, as it is cheaper than actually paying for repairs.
It does not have the highest number of scaffolding along the entire length of West End Avenue. Broadway, Park Avenue, and Fifth Avenue each have more scaffolding, but their length is at least three times the West End's two-mile length. The density is so high along the leafy swath that New Yorkers can walk almost from top to bottom on the sidewalk without seeing the sun.
“It's something we always have,” McDermott said. “Scaffolding is just part of the landscape here.”
The Ministry of Buildings told the Post that since Get Sheds Down was rolled out in July 2023, 7,289 sheds have been removed and more than 100 properties have been taken to court to force the removal of scaffolding. Ta.
“We continue to look forward to a legislative package of new enforcement tools that will help the City Council remove more sheds faster,” a DOB spokesperson said.
No matter what the city says, West End residents aren't convinced they'll see the sun anytime soon.
“I'd like to see the building demolished. It's a shame that no one can admire it because it's old and so beautiful,” McDermott added.
