ICYMI, sidewalk sheds are top priority for Zohran Mamdani.
Fortunately, the Democratic nominee hasn’t introduced his own pun (yet?) (but in a video posted to social media, he did adopt Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine’s call to action, “Shed the Shed”).
But this week he put forward some proposals to put his own stamp on the issue.
His proposals include removing any shed that has been on a city site for more than three years. To do this, he says he will prioritize funding the repairs needed to remove the structures. He also wants to invest in preventive maintenance, so that fewer stables are needed.
It’s unclear how much all that will cost This is reported by the New York Post in March, sheds at 130 city-owned properties had been empty for more than three years.
Mamdani also wants to double the amount of time between mandatory facade inspections for newer buildings. Such inspections take place every five years; he wants newer buildings to have inspections every ten years.
If this reform sounds familiar, that’s because the City Council made a similar change this year, as part of a package of bills aimed at ridding city streets of long-standing sheds. The law required the Department of Buildings to study “the appropriate period” for such inspections and recommend a new inspection schedule that shifts the interval from every five years to six to 12 years. Although the inspection timeline would likely differ depending on building materials and other factors, the law indicated that new buildings would have to undergo their first facade inspection eight years after construction, rather than five years.
The law gave DOB until the end of December 2025 to provide these recommendations to the City Council. (Notably, if the 10-year rule for new buildings had been in effect a decade ago, 432 Park Avenue would have been inspected for the first time in December.) A DOB spokesperson indicated the agency is on track to meet that deadline.
Mamdani also indicated this week that he wants to implement “new, safer, clearer design standards for scaffolding.”
As part of the bill passed in March, the City Council expanded the allowable color palette for these barns, but not by much. Instead of just hunter green, the sheds can now be metallic gray, white or “a color to match the facade, cladding, cornice or roof of the building.” The law which allowed for more color, also required the DOB to investigate whether changes could be made to the shed’s design to “improve the pedestrian experience, including designs that are unobtrusive and aesthetically pleasing, without reducing the safety of such sidewalk shed.”
That investigation should take place at the end of September. A DOB spokesperson said the agency expects improved designs soon.
Interestingly, Mamdani’s announcement did not put much emphasis on stepping up fines or enforcement against property owners with long-term sheds, although he did indicate that he would “aggressively pursue enforcement.” On social media, Mamdani said the Adams administration made little use of the council’s bills. (One law that would impose new fines on owners who don’t make timely repairs won’t go into effect until next year.)
Since the government launched the Get Sheds Down initiative in 2023, 14,593 sheds have been removed from city streets, according to the DOB. Of course, new sheds have also been added in that time, meaning the city has seen a net decrease of 818 sheds on city streets compared to July 2023.
Mayor Eric Adams, for his part, seemed unimpressed by Mamdani’s proposals. He reposted Mamdani’s sidewalk shed announcement on
What we think about: Have you seen the second mayoral debate? Send me your comments at kathryn@therealdeal.com.
Something we learned: Six groups have joined Yes on Affordable Housing, a coalition that supports housing-related ballot questions. Asian Americans for Equality, SAGE, Lambda Independent Democrats, Chinatown Partnership, Center for an Urban Future and Eleanor Roosevelt Independent Democrats Club joined the coalition and endorsed the four land use-related ballot questions, the coalition announced this week.
Elsewhere in New York…
– The site of a federal raid in Chinatown was largely deserted on Wednesday, Gothamist reports. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers descended on a stretch of Canal Street on Tuesday where vendors have long sold counterfeit goods on the sidewalk. Officials said the raid “targeted criminal activity related to the sale of counterfeit goods” and resulted in the arrest of nine West African immigrants. Another four people were arrested for allegedly assaulting a law enforcement officer, and one person was arrested on charges of obstructing law enforcement by blocking a driveway.
– Assembly member Deborah Glick announced Wednesday that she will not seek re-election next year. “I don’t think I could continue to give 100 percent of my energy next year,” she said. Glick has represented parts of Lower Manhattan for 35 years.
— Referring to a scene in the movie “Braveheart” in which Mel Gibson’s character is executed (sorry, spoiler, but come on), Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa said he would rather be impaled than leave the mayoral race and work for Andrew Cuomo. Politico New York reports this. ‘If the executioner had suddenly stopped and I was lying on that stretcher, and [he] said, ‘Hey, you can work for Mayor Andrew Cuomo,’ I’d say, ‘Finish the job. Impale me.” That will never happen,” Sliwa said during a radio interview on WABC.
Closing time
Residential: The top residential deal recorded Wednesday was a sponsor apartment at 53 West 53rd Street in Midtown, developed by Pontiac Land Group and Hines. The buyer was Mansion in NY Corporation, which paid $5.6 million for the pillow. The 2,500-square-foot unit, which has been on the market for a decade, has three bedrooms and three and a half baths. The device’s most recent asking price was $7.4 million. Douglas Elliman’s Renee Micheli, Jade Chan, Frances Katzen and Michelle Griffith had the mention.
Commercial: The most significant commercial deal recorded in the Big Apple was for a 12 square meter sign. Broadway producer John Gore’s John Gore Organization dropped $12.2 million — more than $1 million per square foot — to take over the signage of the Brill Building at 1619 Broadway in Times Square. Gore paid nearly $29 million earlier this year for six other apartments in the historic building. The seller was Mack Real Estate Group.
New on the market: The highest price for a home that came on the market was $12 million for a 3,700-square-foot apartment at 720 West End Avenue on the Upper West Side. Corcoran Sunshine Marketing Group has the listing.
Groundbreaking: The largest new building permit submitted was for a proposed five-story high school building at 111-32 66 Road in Forest Hills. Michael Freedman of MDSzerbaty Associates Architecture submitted the permit on behalf of the New York City School Construction Authority.– Matthew Elo, Mary Diduch
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