AFFRONT: Neighbors fume that the Milford Plaza Hotel has had scaffold permits dating to 1990. (Robert Miller)
Scaffolds and sidewalk sheds seem to be everywhere these days — because they are.
The number of the ugly overhead structures has steadily climbed each year since 2009 — to 8,514 last year — as the city’s new rules for façade inspections kicked in.
Under the law, owners of buildings higher than six stories must hire engineers to inspect for cracks, loose bricks and other deficiencies every five years. In 2010, the Buildings Department began staggering inspection deadlines to ensure 12,000 buildings weren’t filing reports all at once and scrambling for contractors the same day.
The rule change means more scaffolds and sheds loom over city sidewalks at any given time.
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Last year, the city approved permits for 2,668 scaffolds and 5,846 sidewalk sheds, according to DOB — 25 percent more than the 2,356 scaffolds and 4,476 sheds approved in 2009.
“It really is a concrete jungle,” said Miriam Taveras, 35, who works at a salon that’s buried under a sidewalk shed at 34th Street and Lexington Avenue. “Clients walk right by and don’t even see us because it looks like we’re closed. The scaffolding makes the city look dark and dingy.”
There’s even more of the dreaded wood-and-steel tunnels on the way. The last deadline for the current façade-inspection cycle was Feb. 20.
“It’ll be the peak of sidewalk sheds this year,” said Stephen Varone, president of Rand Engineering and Architecture. “All these [inspection] reports have been filed, and now we have to do the work.”
Some critics say the inspection law is cluttering the city with too many sidewalk skeletons.
“There’s an abundance of scaffolds around the city, and oftentimes there’s very little activity,” said architect Ralph Beiran. “A lot of that comes from Local Law 11.”
Buildings Department records show myriad scaffolding complaints over the last year — followed by violations for failing to restore crumbling facades.
Neighbors of 45 John St. in the Financial District filed several complaints about scaffolding in 2012, claiming there hasn’t been a hint of construction for at least two years.
In June, the landlord of the 14-story building was fined $1,000 for loose bricks falling on a neighboring building’s roof, DOB records show.
Contractors with façade experience told The Post some owners take short cuts, leaving the shed up without making repairs immediately. Other times, landlords delay a project due to financial difficulties but keep up the scaffolding.
Beiran said the inspection cycle could easily be increased to 10 or more years, depending on the age and stability of a building.
“When a policy comes out, there’s usually very good reason for it but they’re not always implemented in the best way. It’s still necessary, but we might be overreacting a little bit.”
Local Law 10 was first passed in 1980 after a college student was fatally struck by a falling brick. In 1998, the city passed the more restrictive Local Law 11, which requires close-up and hands-on inspections from scaffolds, rather than visual checks with binoculars.
“The scaffolding takes away from the charm of the city,” said Bob Mitchell, 51, of New Jersey, who often visits the Upper West Side. “You wonder why it takes so long for the work to get done.”
…And this one’s been up 23 years!
More than two decades of scaffolding are making this Times Square hotel look more like a Motel 6.
The Milford Plaza Hotel on Eighth Avenue could set a record for the city’s longest-standing sidewalk sheds, DOB records show — with permits for the hideous covering going back to 1990. Locals and even a hotel employee say the scaffolding has been up continuously for at least six years.
“It’s a mess,” said Mario Theodorou, 66, head waiter at Frankie & Johnnie’s on West 45th Street, across from the hotel’s entrance. “It’s awful for customers sitting by the windows.”
About 400 feet of shed, stretching from 44th to 45th streets, shields the 27-story hotel from the light of day.
The Buildings Department has approved 121 work permits at the site, keeping the scaffolding up even if the pace of construction was down.
In the last 23 years, work permits have been issued for reinforcing structural steel, façade improvements, installing illuminated signs, removing asbestos and new plumbing.
The 85-year-old hotel is owned by the Rockpoint Group and operator Highgate Hotels.
A hotel manager told The Post that the ugly scaffolding should come down in the next few months, when Milford Plaza unveils a two-floor glass-walled lobby and bar area.