My post yesterday was the first time I’d heard of Scarano Architects, who are submitting plans to build on the corner of 4th Ave & 12th St. For those of you who are catching up along with me, here's the 411 on one of the biggest and most controversial developers in Brooklyn.Charges are currently pending against Scarano for his practice of counting mezzanine space as “storage areas,” allowing him to put up buildings that are larger than zoning allows, and out of proportion to the neighborhood. The city's Buildings Department has accused him of knowingly ignoring building codes and zoning rules. If he is found to have abused the honor system that allows architects and engineers to police themselves by approving their own building plans, he will lose the right to sign off on building plans without city review.
More:
How Big Is Too Big? “It is not hard to spot the buildings that Robert M. Scarano Jr., an architect, has designed in New York City: they tend to be a lot bigger than the other buildings around them.” [NY Times]City Charges Architect with Super-Sizing His Designs, Say Robert Scarano Used Loopholes to Build Big [The Brooklyn Papers, 4/22/06]
With 100s of Projects, Scarano Remakes B'klyn: “We're embroiled in a lot of controversy right now because we're pushing the envelope," Scarano said. [The Real Deal, 5/05]
Despite Steel Scare, Finger Stays At Ten: Williamsburg building at 144 North 8th Street to remain 10 stories. [Queens Ledger, 7/20/06]
Real Estate Justice: Scarano Gets Nailed [Metroblogging NYC, 4/06]
More Charges Hit Architect: Scarano investigated for negligence in the death of a construction worker last year. [The Brooklyn Papers, 6/10/06]
Scarano in W'burg: On Hold or Not?: DOB puts 2 Scarano buildings on hold, but reports are that people are moving in. [Brooklyn Record, 8/2/06]
Update: photos are representative examples of Scarano buildings, showing their modernist design and how noticably out of scale with the neighborhood they are. BK Ramblings hasn't been able to get our hands on the actual plans for the building at 4th Ave & 12th St.
1 comment:
Scarano has another hideousness going up on 333 Carroll Street - same scam - triple height ceilings to get mezzanine spaces in that do not get calculated into sq. footage of units. This building has destroyed the scale of the Gowanus area. A walk down charming Carroll Street from Smith to Hoyt is scary now with thios monster towering above the rooftops. How can this be stopped????
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