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Commissioner explains DOB's reliance on external qualified inspectors
3:40:46
·
80 sec
Commissioner James 'Jimmy' S. Oddo explains the Department of Buildings' reliance on external qualified inspectors due to the large number of buildings in the city and limited DOB staff.
- Oddo highlights that there are 1,100,000 buildings in the city but only about 500 DOB building inspectors
- The commissioner emphasizes the necessity of relying on design professionals for various inspections, including Local Law 11 facade inspections
- He acknowledges that the quality of these external inspectors can vary, citing a specific case at 1915 Billingsley
James "Jimmy" S. Oddo
3:40:46
We we will set up a meeting.
3:40:47
And again, I just it's a good time to remind folks.
3:40:49
We we have 1,100,000 buildings in the city.
3:40:53
We have 500 or so building inspectors.
3:40:57
Whether it's the local law 11 facade, buildings higher than six stories, but there's parking garages.
3:41:03
We rely on design professionals to a large degree.
3:41:08
Right?
3:41:08
So, as as the deputy commissioner and I were saying, the folks actually doing these are these qualified exterior wall professionals.
Eric Dinowitz
3:41:18
Great.
James "Jimmy" S. Oddo
3:41:18
Some are good.
3:41:19
Some as in the case at 1915 Billingsley are not.
3:41:24
But the building owner hires these external qualified inspectors to do this work.
3:41:30
And as the deputy commissioner explained, when of the three categories when they file an unsafe, their requirements to put up sidewalk sheds, etcetera, that's when now, what you're describing is what I used to complain about health inspectors when I was a council member.
3:41:44
They come for a they then find b, c, and d.
3:41:47
Mhmm.
3:41:48
I'm not sure that's the case with our inspectors.
3:41:50
Perhaps these are unsafe buildings with an unsafe designation that we come back And we've come back twice.
3:42:02
But let's set up a call.
3:42:03
We'll do a sampling of these buildings and we'll figure out what's happening.
Yigal Shamash
3:42:06
Yeah.