Scarano barred from filing plans to DOB

Brooklyn architect Robert Scarano may have just lost his ability to work in the city. Scarano, who has long been the target of criticism from community activists alleging that he disregards zoning laws, was blocked from filing construction plans by the Department of Buildings yesterday, according to the New York Times. Although it’s not yet clear how long the mandate will last, the order applies to all current applications and future plans he would want to submit. Judge Joan Salzman, who recommended the cutoff, said that past discrepancies between Scarano’s plans and resulting projects have been too dramatic to have been inadvertent. The judge said some of his past project plans filed to the DOB have been “so deceptive that they call to mind out-and-out fraud.” The ruling comes after approximately four years of investigations from city officials and the DOB. In a past interview with The Real Deal, Scarano responded to the controversies he’s encountered. Among the past charges were claims that Scarano had built apartment buildings at 158 Freeman Street and 1037 Manhattan Avenue in violation of DOB regulations. Another problematic project for Scarano was a building at 145 Snediker Street, where the placement of a lamppost was reportedly askew from how it appeared in official plans. Update: Those three buildings were named in the DOB’s official statement today announcing Scarano’s ban.