The New York City Council voted to improve the safety and building integrity of parking garages. If approved by Mayor Eric Adams, the legislation would be effective immediately.
According to The New York City Council notes, Part of the bill mandates that the city’s Department of Buildings conduct a study which will evaluate the structural integrity of parking garages by assessing various factors affecting load bearing capacity, including size, age, materials and design. The department will then report recommendations based on their findings within six months of the bill’s effective date and make the report public within a year.
The legislation will also increase the amount of inspections that take place, doubling the standard civil penalties for certain DOB-enforced violations.
The legislation is in response to a parking garage in Lower Manhattan collapsing, resulting in the death of garage manager, Willis Moore, and injuring five others in April 2023. According to a news release, at the time of the collapse, there were several open violations for loose, defective and cracked concrete throughout the building structure.
After the incident, the DOB inspected hundreds of garages across the city and issued multiple full and partial vacate orders.
Mackenna Moralez is the associate editor of the facilities market.
