From the 2011 Data Book: Stalled construction sites were prevalent in Brooklyn in 2010, as the number of such projects increased 44 percent from 2009 and comprised 46 percent of the city’s total stalled sites. The Williamsburg-Greenpoint neighborhood led the way with 90 stalled projects in 2010, far outpacing any other Brooklyn neighborhood. See the full list of stalled projects below, and click here or use the link on the top of this page to purchase a copy of the Data Book. TRD

2011 Data Book [more]

A stalled construction site at 170 North 5th Street in Williamsburg could see new life, according to Brownstoner. A New Jersey-based property investment and management company, UA2 K&Q Acquisition, has bought the development for $8.67 million, property records show, although it is not immediately clear what the company’s plans are for the partially complete building. The property, originally intended to be an 18-unit, 21,000-square-foot residential building, was being developed by RKT&B Architecture and Urban Design, before stalling September 2009. [Brownstoner]

Five months after Mayor Michael Bloomberg signed in a new law allowing New York City developers to speedily regain permits to restart stalled projects, rather than reapply for permits from square one, the Department of Buildings says it’s seeing results. Dozens of development firms are in negotiations with the DOB, officials say, to take advantage of the program. This could be a boon to the city, which currently contains over 500 stalled construction sites, according to DOB data. Mitchell Korbey, a zoning attorney with Herrick Feinstein, said that the law may help jump start the city’s fledging construction industry. “In light of the number of projects in the city that are stalled because of economic conditions, this is a very important initiative,” Korbey said. “The alternative is having dormant projects that the developers lose.”

Stalled construction projects have become a fixture of the New York
City streetscape in the aftermath of the real estate bust, but upkeep
on the partially-built structures has proven a costly task. The city
spent approximately $10,000 on each of 75 buildings dangerously close
to collapse between June 2008 and June 2009, according to the
Department of Housing Preservation and Development. The funds went
toward emergency scaffolding sheds. Only 27 such reinforcements were
needed during the same period in 2007. An additional 75 buildings were
demolished at an average of $49,000 each during fiscal year 2009, up
from 53 in fiscal year 2008, the Post reported. Squatters are also
proving costly, with 47 abandoned buildings needing roughly $2,000 that
went toward sealing doors and windows over the past fiscal year. Still,
such efforts haven’t eliminated the dangers of neglected construction
sites. At least 15 pedestrians have reported being hit with falling
debris from city properties this year, Department of Buildings records
show. [more]

Job losses in the construction sector have been worse than in the brokerage industry, but conditions may improve more quickly in the former, according to a new report. An estimated 5,300 real estate broker-related positions have been lost in New York City since August 2008, according to a monthly report from Eastern Consolidated, while approximately 12,400 construction jobs have been lost during the same time period. “A lot of construction jobs come to a halt more abruptly [when the economy suffers], whereas real estate didn’t give up so quickly,” said Barbara Byrne Denham, chief economist with Eastern Consolidated. “It’s really up to the broker to quit.” Brokers hang on to jobs longer than those in construction in times of economic stress, according to Denham, which would account for the different job loss trajectories between the sectors. “It’s not a surprise considering the state of the market,” Denham said. “I don’t see [the jobs] picking up at least for the next six months.” [more]

Sion Misrahi, a Lower East Side developer, says the New York City Department of Buildings is “scared to death,” according to the Lo-Down blog. In light of the recent allegations of corruption within the DOB, Misrahi says that the department is now “scared of [its] own shadow,” and acting with undue trepidation. Misrahi, who had a role in a recent documentary, “The Lower East Side: An Endangered Place,” said that this fear is the reason that there are over 540 stalled construction sites in the city. He believes that department trepidation has made it “impossible to do business in the city.” The developer is outspoken on his opposition to stricter new rezoning laws that he feels stymie city growth, and maintains that the DOB is targeting existing buildings with fines, because there are few new construction sites to monitor.