Audit finds that property owners still aren’t abiding by public space rules

A new audit by New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer found that several privately owned public spaces (POPS) still aren’t meeting the requirements laid out by the city.

This audit follows one that was conducted earlier this year, which found that 182 buildings whose owners had promised to add public spaces — in exchange for extra floors or other perks at their properties — weren’t holding up their end of the bargain. For its latest review, Stringer’s office looked at a sample of 34 POPS of the 182 noncompliant sites, Curbed reported. Most of the sites — 32 — still aren’t abiding by city rules by restricting or obstructing public access to these spaces.

“New Yorkers are getting cheated out of public resources – and the developers are getting benefits and giving back nothing in return,” Stringer said in a statement.

Stringer called out the Department of Buildings for failing to enforce the city’s agreements with these building owners since the first audit was released. In June, the City Council voted in favor of a bill that will require inspection of the POPS every three years. The DOB told Curbed that it will begin regular inspections of the public spaces in accordance with the new legislation. [Curbed] — Kathryn Brenzel