A group of developers, designers, property owners and architects were hit with a federal suit alleging they neglected to follow multiple disability access
A group of developers, designers, property owners and architects were hit with a federal suit alleging they neglected to follow multiple disability access laws when constructing three properties in Brooklyn and Queens.
“How buildings are designed impacts people’s lives every day,” said Diane Houk, an attorney for Fair Housing Justice Center, the nonprofit bringing the suit in the Eastern District of New York. “If every day you’re living in a space where you can’t , that gnaws away at you.”and New York State and New York City Human Rights Laws outlawing housing discrimination against people with disabilities and requiring all units be accessible when they constructed three new buildings in Long Island City and DUMBO, then misrepresented compliance with those laws to the city.Violations in the three properties — The Northern and The Astor on Third II in Long Island City and Bridgeview in DUMBO — are “strikingly common,” Houk said. Some include doors and bathrooms being too narrow for people using wheelchairs and mobility scooters to move through or use, too-high steps up to balconies and terraces, and amenities, like washing machines, dryers, light switches and temperature controls, placed out of reach of those using mobility devices.Fair Housing Justice Center v. Developing New York State LLC et al “They could have built to meet the accessibility standards that we’ve had for 30 years in this country, but they chose not to pay attention,” Houk said. “And they’ve chosen not to do it repeatedly in buildings before this case as well.” There are pending accessibility lawsuits against Rabsky Group affiliates for properties in Brooklyn, and others recently settled with the Fair Housing Justice Center in a similar suit regarding accessibility violations at The Astor on Third I, a sister building to the one named in this suit. The Fair Housing Justice Center became aware of the developers’ alleged illegal conduct at these three properties after conducting undercover inspections of their units in 2024, posing as prospective tenants looking to rent units. Houk said the center feels the city may be better equipped to conduct oversight of developers than it is, as a small nonprofit. “Right now, the city allows developers to self-certify that they’re complying, and the Fair Housing Justice Center, particularly in the last 10 years, has just become very concerned that this self-certification process is not working,” Houk said. “There needs to be some kind of inspection done by the city before the building is allowed to open to ensure that the building has been built according to accessibility requirements.” A request for comment to a City Hall spokesperson on whether the Mamdani administration would consider creating a policy to carry out these inspections was not returned. In the suit, plaintiffs are demanding that developers retrofit the three buildings to comply with accessibility laws and to pay into the Fair Housing Justice Center’s fund for low and mid-income tenants to make improvements to bring their apartments up to code.Isabella Gallo covers courts and law for amNewYork Law. She breaks down legal developments, court decisions, cases, lawsuits and the work of attorneys and judges to make the law more accessible to the public and provide a reliable resource to lawyers looking to understand how recent rulings could impact their practice.‘No War, No ICE, No Kings’: Hundreds Rally in the Bronx for No Kings Dayafter being assaulted during argument, cops say
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Man throws feces, pages from Quran at mosque in Brooklyn: copsPolice in Brooklyn are searching for a suspect who allegedly desecrated a mosque earlier this month.
Read more »
Cops search for suspect involved in triple stabbing in BrooklynDetectives in Brooklyn are looking for the suspect who allegedly stabbed two women and a man in the Woodson Houses in Brownsville on Sunday.
Read more »
Mets' Bo Bichette trying to do too much amid early struggles for new team: 'My at-bats wereQUEENS, NY — After striking out swinging with runners at the corners to end the seventh inning of a 2-2 game, Bo Bichette earned his first Queens welcome from
Read more »
Brooklyn's Rookies a Takeaway as Nets Take Down the KingsThe Nets ended their ten-game losing streak with a home win over the Kings on Sunday.
Read more »
Queens woman fatally struck by private garbage truck driver while crossing street: copsPolice in Queens are investigating how a private garbage truck driver struck and killed a young woman attempting to cross a street late on Sunday night.
Read more »
Hundreds protest Brooklyn men's homeless shelter siteProtesters on Sunday night swarmed the site of a planned men’s homeless shelter in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, waving American flags and holding signs.
Read more »