Map Shows Where Construction Continues on the UWS — And Why
With New York City grinding to a halt aside from “essential” activities, most construction has stopped. But several projects in the neighborhood are up and running. Several readers have reached out to us to complain that hours of construction noise can make it hard for families to shelter in place and for kids to do remote learning from home. And on some sites, the workers don’t appear to be wearing additional protective equipment to keep them from getting Covid-19. Some workers have expressed concern that they’re being put in danger.
The projects that are still going had to get special permission from the state, and a new map shows the stated reasons they got permission. They include affordable housing, hospital and health care construction, utility projects, homeless shelters and a category called “emergency.” In the emergency category are 200 Amsterdam Avenue, the controversial site on 69th Street, and 145 West 108th Street, a senior housing development. (At 200 Amsterdam, a spokesperson had said last week that they were just completing the process of shutting the site down.)
Sorry but you have 222 West 80th as Emergency Work – I live there and know it’s not
It needs to be stopped ASAP
This is just flat out wrong and unacceptable
The worker I saw today was not even wearing a mask! And several came into our lobby
The people I have spoken with at Friedland say that Rose Associates are the decision-maker
We don’t know who to believe
Many of the residents here spoke to Rose NYC who manages our building at 222 West 80th Street and have learned that it is Friedland Properties, not Rose NYC, who is in charge of the construction going on in our building. Rose NYC has even told us that they have begged Friedland to stop the construction while this virus outbreak situation continues.
We have emailed and called the owners / Friedland Properties
It is unsafe for us residents as they use 1 of the 2 elevators and have contact with common areas of our building while we live here. It is not appropriate and very disrespectful to the residents here. Residents and building employees here are very upset. Please do the right thing.
workers are not wearing masks – this is just flat out wrong and unaccept
Please stop this construction and access to our lobby and elevator ASAP
Your map is missing 305 West End Avenue Residences. On Friday, they erected scaffolding there — what is that about?
Probably (hopefully) just the regular required check for loose bricks etc.
You said “regular”. Does that constitute an “emergency”?
When this was the Esplanade, the building killed a little girl when pieces of the facade fell off. The City made them erect a scaffolding and proceed with work all over the building. That scaffolding stayed up for about three years!! Now, It has been a non stop construction site inside, floor by floor, with no end in sight. Supposedly, the construction inside is suspended. But now, they are putting that scaffolding up once more and I am told it will cover the entire building. Why? How is this essential to what is happening right now? Something is wrong here.
As of Friday 4/3, there was still construction going on at the corner of Riverside and 98h Street.
Construction at 222 West 80 is a health hazard and needs to stop. Construction workers don’t wear masks and come thru our lobby and use 1 of the 2 elevators in the building. Friedland Properties is responsible!
The average person will never understand why construction projects can never stop halfway… Not even a pandemic can stop the construction wrap your head around that
What makes 200 Amsterdam an “emergency” site? It’s an over-built, illegally construct (prior to putting safety protection and security coverage, and twice a judge has ruled against
its gerrymandering formula to allow its inappropriate and distuptive height and sprawl.
(Except, of course, Bill de Blasio, who sides w/ the developer (as usual). Workers don’t look very concerned about Corona distances when they pile out of the little doorway belatedly constructed, and collide with
upper west siders forced to carry their groceries through the crowd exiting that doorway. WHAT MAKES THEM AN EMERGENCY EXCEPTION? Money generously spread among the Dept. of Buildings?
It seems that the Emergency Work exemption provides a loophole for developers. Who is to say that a site “would be unsafe” if work is allowed to remain undone? The fact that the decision was made so quickly suggests that all a developer has to do is make this claim without much proof. It would be great if the West Side Rag could check into this process more closely and see what proof developers have to provide. Does anyone have to independently determine whether this is true or does the State simply accept their claim that this is the case?
Maybe you should all write and complain to our beloved Governor!!
Ask him why.
Construction at 222 West 80 is unsafe for us residents as they use 1 of the 2 elevators and have contact with common areas of our building.