BY KEVIN DUGGAN
They’re fenced in!
City building inspectors
shut down construction of a
Carroll Gardens fi tness center
in the wake of a construction
fence collapse, citing “unsafe
conditions.”
The collapse — which was
fi rst spotted on Feb. 6 by local
blogger Katia Kelly — sent plywood
debris plummeting into
a large pit at Smith and Douglass
streets, where Brooklyn
Heights-based developer Louis
Greco of Second Development
Services has been planning to
build a Crunch gym since late
2016, Patch reported.
Offi cials slapped contractors
with a violation for failing
to safeguard workers during
an inspection on Jan. 17, which
came in response to complaints
that a “pretty large structure”
had fallen into the site.
The builders can resume
construction once they prove
to the Department of Buildings
that it is safe to do so, said
spokesman Andrew Rudansky.
The fence’s collapse represents
the latest in a long list of
blunders to delay the Smith
Street development, which
has racked up nearly $9,000 in
construction code violations,
including 10 infractions that
remain open, according to
Buildings Department records.
The fi nes started rolling in
shortly after workers began
excavating the site, leading inspectors
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COURIER L 10 IFE, FEBRUARY 14-20, 2020
to issue violations for
A plywood fence fell into the construction site at the corner of Smith Street. Photo by Kevin Duggan
failing to notify the city before
starting construction, and for
damaging a neighboring property
at 57 Douglass St., forcing
residents to vacate.
The builder’s reputation for
mishaps has grown so notorious,
Kelly expressed concern
that continued work could end
up damaging the G and F subway
lines located below.
“At this point, perhaps we
should all be concerned about
the site’s proximity to the F/G
subway line, which runs parallel
to the site,” Kelly wrote on
her blog. “If the construction
team is so inept, who is to say
that the subway tunnel will not
be compromised?”
Second Development Services
did not return a request
for comment.
A construction fence has
surrounded the lot for about
12 years since a row of singlestory
buildings, including popular
Argentine restaurant Sur,
were demolished, Kelly said.
Greco bought the property
for $6.3 million in 2015 and
planned to build a 15,000 square
foot three-fl oor retail building
on the site.
And despite the ruckus that
workers have raised since construction
started, locals remain
amazed by the project’s glacial
pace, and can’t believe that contractors
have done little more
than dig a hole.
“It looks like a bomb hit that
place,” said a former neighbor,
who gave his name as Mex.
“They’re driving in here late
at night, banging away and s–t
hasn’t been done. There’s only a
ditch in there!”
BREAKING
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Plywood fence plummets into
Carroll Gardens construction site
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