Residents of an Upper West Side apartment building complained for months of the danger posed by construction blasting next door – but the city did nothing until a retaining-wall collapse at the site threatened to topple their home.
Part of 784 Columbus Ave., a 320-unit building, was briefly evacuated again yesterday, hours after residents were allowed to return to their apartments after the first evacuation Wednesday evening.
Although officials believe the building is safe, people in 17 apartments closest to the construction zone were to be put up in hotels last night while contractors fixed the retaining wall. All work on the project except emergency repairs has been halted.
Since December, Department of Buildings inspectors have logged 51 complaints about construction work at 808 Columbus Ave., a 29-story residential and commercial project that will stretch along Columbus from West 97th to West 100th streets.
Records show the agency has cited the developer and contractors only twice – once for “failure to safeguard public and property” in Wednesday’s retaining-wall collapse, and once in December for digging a trench for a sewer pipe without a permit.
The penalties for Wednesday’s wall collapse have not been determined. The improperly dug trench brought a $2,500 fine against 808 Columbus LLC – a partnership of Chetrit Group and Stellar Management.
Neither developer returned calls yesterday. The contractor, Gotham Construction, said it was cooperating with the city and would “take all necessary precautions to ensure” safety.
Among the complaints the Department of Buildings did not act upon were reports Monday that blasting was taking place at the site “without proper notification” to people in the area.
Residents said they heard the last blasts at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, about 3½ hours before the wall collapse.
Buildings officials declined to comment yesterday. A source in the Fire Department – which also monitors blasting – said it did not appear any of its rules were broken.
Residents had also complained to the city Department of Health about dust and fumes.
Residents – most of whom live in rent-stabilized apartments – fumed that Chetrit Group, which is also their landlord, hasn’t mitigated the blasting.
“It’s been quite nerve-wracking,” said Neil Harris, 57.
The blasting has bothered Ed Garelick, 65, who lives in one of the apartments still evacuated last night because of the collapse.
“I’ve had to live with my windows closed for the last six months,” Garelick said. “I bought a pack of 50 earplugs. I wear them all day long.”