Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Manhattan Buildings Declared Unsafe by DOB

Before residents can return to the evacuated buildings of Manhattan's Zone A, the Department of Buildings must inspect each property to make sure it is safe for occupancy. While some buildings have received green stickers and have only some cleanup to do before people can move back in, others received "Unsafe" or "Restricted Use" placards, indicating a need for repairs and further inspection and delaying residents' returns. 

There is no official list of these buildings, so we've compiled one (as of Nov 7, 2012):

2 Gold Street Apartments
Following the posting of an unsafe placard on the door of this building, management has announced that residents can break their leases if they choose to relocate rather than waiting for the building to be ready for occupancy again. It will probably be at least two weeks before residents are allowed to return.

100 Maiden Lane
This building was originally declared unsafe, but that rating was downgraded last night to restricted use due to "major flooding."

Downtown Club Condominium - 20 West Street
Building management estimates (according to an e-mail sent to residents) that it will be "several weeks" before the building is habitable. Residents are allowed to pick up their belongings between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. and should bring a working flashlight.

Greenwich Club Residences - 88 Greenwich Street
This 452-unit building was declared "Unsafe" and "Uninhabitable", according to a building management memo. It could be "a few weeks to more than a month" before residents are allowed to return. During the storm, a fuel oil storage tank filled with salt water, and the mixture of oil and salt-water wreaked havoc on the building's lower levels. .

1 West Street
1 West Street was initially given an "Unsafe" notice, which was changed to "Limited Use" as of 2:30 yesterday afternoon. The Department of Buildings placard does not indicate specific restrictions to building access.

3 Hanover Square
The building received a "Restricted Use" yellow card from the Department of Buildings due to flooding in the basement and mechanical rooms, according to a tipster. Building management has "made sufficient improvement to warrant re-inspection," according to a memo from management, and is awaiting another inspection from the Department of Buildings.

21 West Street
The rental building, which does not even have a basement, had 17,000 gallons of water pumped out and hopes to reopen by next week. It still needs to pass a full electrical inspection and one more from the Department of Buildings.

90 Washington Street
Building management said that the water had been pumped out of the building but that equipment had not yet been assessed for damage. Management estimates that it may be 6 to 8 weeks before residents are allowed to return.

217 Front Street
A manager at 217 Front Street in the Fulton Seaport says that the entire first floor has been gutted and the building has a yellow "Restricted Entry" sign on the door. Residents can get in to get their stuff, but cannot stay.

116 John Street Apartments
Residents were evacuated last week, and later received the following email: "Following an inspection at the building site yesterday, we were regrettably informed that our Life Safety Systems were damaged by flooding caused by Hurricane Sandy. While the building remains structurally sound, unfortunately, among the Systems affected is our Fire Safety System. Without such systems in place, we cannot operate or inhabit the building."

95 Wall Luxury Apartments
95 Wall has a yellow "restricted access" sign. A team of engineers is supposed to give building management a "full assessment" of the building systems this weekend, which will allow management to give residents a timeline for returning home.

103 Washington Street
The seven-unit building 103 Washington Street received an "Unsafe" placard and will have to be demolished, according to the Department of Buildings.

10 Hanover Square Apartments
"According to the Department of Buildings, 10 Hanover is not habitable at this time," said an e-mail from building management. ConEd has not given the building a timeline yet for the restoration of power, but once power is back, the building will need 24 to 48 hours to evaluate its systems.

200 Water Street
This building has received a "Restricted Use" tag from the Department of Buildings. Residents were told yesterday that it could be "at least two weeks, possibly much longer" before the building is habitable again

Rivergate Apartments - 401 East 34 Street
The Department of Buildings has judged Rivergate "Uninhabitable", according to an e-mail from building management. "ConEdison is on site draining their vaults of more than 80,000 gallons of seawater and will not be able to restore power to the building until "at least Thanksgiving", according to a memo from management.

111 John Street
A representative at 111 John Street tells reported that the building received a "Restricted Use" tag. The basement is completely flooded and it could be two weeks before people could return to their offices.

River Lofts - 416 Washington St
The Department of Buildings reports that 416 Washington Street has been declared "Uninhabitable".

160 Front Street
The building received a yellow placard due to a flooded mechanical room. A crew is in the process of pumping the water out.

79 Laight Street
Department of Buildings has upgraded 79 Laight Street with a "Restricted Use" placard. Originally, the building had been declared "Uninhabitable".

Truffles Tribeca - 34 Desbrosses Street
A resident reports that Truffles Tribeca has also received a Restricted Use tag from the Department of Buildings.

184 Kent Ave - Brooklyn
A resident reports that the Department of Buildings has placed a "Restricted Access" tag on the building after initially declaring it "Uninhabitable". According to building management, the building suffered no structural damage in the storm.