“Access Denied: Examining the City’s Response to Illegal Use and Illegal Conversion Complaints June 7, 2011
Remarks as Prepared

OPENING STATEMENT
COUNCIL SPEAKER CHRISTINE C. QUINN

Good afternoon. Once again, tragic events in our City cost New Yorkers their lives in fires. Why? Because the buildings they were living in had been illegally altered to create more apartments than the law allowed. And these alterations had been done in a way that almost assured a tragedy would occur.

The two recent fires in the Bronx and Brooklyn that took the lives of 5 people demonstrate just how dangerous and life-threatening illegal residential conversions are to emergency responders and the New Yorkers who reside in these apartments.

When we look at these two buildings, there is thread common to both – a history of complaints and an inability of the City to effectively respond.

The problem of illegal conversions must be dealt with at all levels: from receiving illegal conversion complaints, to investigating the complaints and seeking access; from enforcing access warrants to preventing illegal conversions in the first place.

This morning, the Council and the Mayor’s Office announced the results of a new inspection task force that will prioritize inspections based on metrics developed to identify high-risk illegal conversions. The initial results are encouraging and the first step in addressing this problem in our City.

But there is much more that needs to be done.

The City should develop a plan that tiers all illegal conversion complaints, as well as institutes a protocol for responding to these complaints, based on priority level.

This plan should begin at the point of intake, with 311 operators who are ready with questions for a caller that would allow a complaint to be appropriately evaluated.

Importantly, this plan should include a formal process by which agencies – particularly HPD and FDNY – coordinate with and refer illegal conversion complaints to DOB, ensuring that complaints are counted and receive appropriate follow-up. The lack of coordination among agencies represents a serious weakness in the City’s ability to respond effectively to combat this problem.

This plan should also include formal protocols to guide agencies regarding when to seek access warrants. And the City must develop a better list of proxies that can be used to support the contention that a building has been illegally converted when seeking a warrant. What do the water bills look like? How many mailboxes, doorbells, separate entrances, or gas and electric meters are there?

Some “fixes” are just common sense. It isn’t necessarily enough to knock on the door at 10:00 in the morning. You may have to come back again at 6:00. The Council recognizes the fact that we are dealing with this issue during a difficult economic climate. We are mindful of coming up with an approach that focuses limited agency resources in the most efficient way possible.

I would like to thank Chairperson Dilan and Chairperson Crowley for holding this hearing and I look forward to hearing and reviewing testimony from agency representatives and from other stakeholders who have given thought to this issue.

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