Scarano Barred by DOB
Architect Robert Scarano received a major rebuke and professional set-back yesterday when the Department of Buildings banned him from filing construction plans after an administrative law judge found that he made purposefully misleading statements in the past. The judge’s findings focused on just three of the hundreds of buildings the controversial architect designed over the…
Architect Robert Scarano received a major rebuke and professional set-back yesterday when the Department of Buildings banned him from filing construction plans after an administrative law judge found that he made purposefully misleading statements in the past. The judge’s findings focused on just three of the hundreds of buildings the controversial architect designed over the past decade; 2006 charges brought by the city accused Mr. Scarano of violations at more than two dozen buildings. As The Times reports, the judge charged Mr. Scarano with deliberately overbuilding, calling some of his filings so deceptive that they call to mind out-and-out fraud. One of the properties in question is 145 Snediker Street in East New York, where the judge says he tried to ‘put one over’ on the DOB; another of the properties in question was an L-shaped building at the corner of Manhattan Avenue and Freeman Street, above. Mr. Scarano repeatedly submitted false documents in an attempt to circumvent the law and have illegal buildings approved, said DOB Commissioner Robert D. LiMandri. Licensed professionals must understand they have an obligation to follow the law so the safety and quality of life of our neighborhoods are not compromised.
Controversial Architect Is Barred by City [NY Times]
when is Scarano going to involve the other people that helped him such as Yona Love, Hershey? I can’t believe he is going quietly into this good night 🙂
Thanks Ishtar for explaining the mezzanine issue.
It states that in 2006 there were dozens of them out there. So what happens (or has happened) with regards to these condo spaces that were overbuilt?
How do you remedy the overbuilt violation(s) if these individuals were clearly victims of as the judge stated “so deceptive that they call to mind out-and-out fraud”?
ishtar, i’ll explain the mezzanine scam:
according to NYC building code, there are technically 3 types of mezzanines:
1: floor to ceiling height measures 5′-0″ or less, can be used for storage only. not allowed to use it for habitation purposes and not counted as physical square footage to the building.
2: floor to ceiling height measure 5′-0″ to 8′-0″, still can only be used for storage, still cant be used for habitation purposes, but it is counted as additional square footage.
3: floor to ceiling height measures 8′-0″ and above, you can use the mezzanine for storage, habitation, etc. and it is counted as square footage.
what scarano did was call out the construction of mezzanine 1 or 2 on his plans, then the contractors would actually build mezzanine 3 with a raised fake floor, so it would actually look like mezzanine 1 or 2 to pass inspection. after it passed inspection, rip out the fake floor, increasing the height from floor to ceiling and voila! u have mezzanine 3.
But will those other architects in his firm be willing to risk their licenses for Scarano? Unclear.
(and I’m with deadcatbounce; it would be nice to see the dude actually get charged with fraud and face some stiffer penalties. Arch66 points out that this kind of crap makes the system harder on the good folks, but it also makes clients think they can bend rules when they point to a bunch of buildings that do what you say can’t be done.)
“IF there is another licensed architect in the firm. The firm changed its name from Scarano Architects (plural) to Scarano Architect (singular) a couple of years back for a reason.”
You mean ego?
I can’t imagine it would be hard to find someone else to stamp his drawings. Every arch. firm I worked for back when I was a productive member of society had a couple licensed architects kicking around, irrespective of how the firm’s name was written.
It seems more like we’re punching a panda here; maybe you give him a black eye, but it’s not really going to make much of a difference.
I doubt many aesthetically-motivated architects would have chosen to chain their stool to his desk before all this, and I suspect that’s unchanged.
Whether or not you like the work, the cost of Scarano’s malfeasance has been felt by every architect, builder, and engineer practicing in Brooklyn. The professional certification program is virtually suspended because the DOB no longer trusts professionals to obey the laws, with justification thanks to Scarano and others like him.
Lawbreakers give credence to building department officials and plan examiners who approach their jobs like prison guards, kindergarden teachers, or zookeepers – you have to keep the animals in line. He broke the rules, and people went to him because they thought he could get them more than was allowed. He took business away from people who played by the rules, and then made it harder for everyone else to get approvals. Good riddance.
IF there is another licensed architect in the firm. The firm changed its name from Scarano Architects (plural) to Scarano Architect (singular) a couple of years back for a reason.
Unfortunately, there are many other architects out there who will try to game the system. More unfortunately (and this might not be a popular Brownstoner sentiment…), most of those others are not as good at design.
Hang the MF.
At least charge the SOB.