Block-Swallowing UES Mega Development Fined For Safety Violations

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — The supervisor at a First Avenue construction site that has previously been the source of neighborhood controversy was hit with a $10,000 fine in July for unsafe conditions, the city announced Monday.

In April 2019, inspectors from the Department of Buildings visited 1516-18 First Ave., a portion of the full-block construction site between East 79th and 80th streets that has been undergoing demolition since 2018 by Extell Development, a megadeveloper known for kicking off the "billionaire's row" construction boom on 57th Street.

At the site, inspectors asked to speak with the construction superintendent and to view a work site logbook, but discovered that neither was present, the DOB said. The inspectors found that no logs had been filled out for that day and that the supervisor had not designated an alternate in his absence.

Inspectors also observed workers throwing debris from the upper floors onto the building's exterior, demolition work being done that did not match the plans approved by the department, and a failure to notify the department about a small fire that had occurred earlier at the site while a metal chimney was being demolished, according to the DOB.

The DOB issued a stop work order at the site, and held a hearing in July in which the $10,000 in penalties were issued to the construction superintendent, Franco Caliendo.

A man who answered a phone number listed for Caliendo on Monday hung up after being asked about the penalties.

Extell initially said it intended to construct a mixed-use building on the site, but the developer revealed at a community board meeting last year that no immediate plans existed. Lawmakers and residents also complained last year that the full-block site was dark, dangerous and infested with rats, spurring the company to install lights along the construction fence.

No permits for new construction at the site have been filed with the city since May 2018, when the initial demolition plans were filed, city records show.

Previous coverage by Patch:

• Extell's UES Development Site Is Unsafe: Lawmaker, Seniors Say
• Developer Claims No Clear Plan For Replacing Demolished UES Block
• Block-Swallowing UES Mega Development Is Getting Bigger: Reports
• Work To Demolish Entire UES Block Is Underway