Exclusive | NYC politician pushes to change scaffolding laws to target sidewalk shed whack-a-mole

One local politician wants the city to take over façade work when building owners drag their feet and leave scaffolding up for years on end.Council member Keith Powers is renewing his push to overhaul the city’s “archaic” scaffolding laws — following a Post report on the city’s worst stretch for sidewalk sheds on the Upper West Side and a poll that showed New Yorkers are ready for a change.“New York City is groaning under the weight of unnecessary scaffolding, and no borough needs reform more badly than Manhattan,” Powers said.“The archaic city rules around scaffolding have allowed them to run rampant, and New Yorkers agree — it’s time to make a change.

Let’s get sheds down and let the light in.”Powers’ position is backed up by a recent poll of registered Democrats by communications group Tusk Strategies that found 71% felt the city’s 45-year-old scaffolding laws were in desperate need of an overhaul.Some 77% of those polled also felt scaffolding negatively affected their everyday lives — saying they believe sheds drive up costs for homeowners and renters, tank retail business revenue, enable crime and drug use, and make the streets less safe overall.The city’s scaffolding laws aim to keep New Yorkers safe from debris falling from decaying buildings by requiring façade inspections every five years, and requiring protective sheds if any faults are detected.Only 21% of respondents found that the risk of falling debris justified the ubiquitous scaffolding sheds — which stretch across hundreds of miles of city blocks.Some 68% of New Yorkers who responded also think sidewalk sheds are so commonplace because of the political power and influence of players in the scaffolding business.The poll comes after The Post reported on a sunlight-deprived 35-block stretch of West End Avenue that had been covered by 57 sheds in April.Since The Post first exposed the Upper West Side stretch in April, 19 sheds have come down — but five more have go...