By Jacob Kaye
It’s been about half a yr since Eric Ulrich, the previous councilmember from Queens, was appointed by Mayor Eric Adams to function town’s Division of Buildings commissioner.
Ulrich, who represented District 32 within the Metropolis Council from 2009, when he was 24 years outdated, till he was term-limited out of workplace in 2021, says he got here into the DOB with a mandate – slash crimson tape and switch the DOB into an company identified for offering assets and never punishment.
On the coronary heart of what he says is a brand new strategy for the company, Ulrich and Mayor Eric Adams have launched a brand new 90-day fee that goals to compile suggestions for modifications to the division’s companies, packages, rules, operations and processes. The fee options over 100 stakeholders, together with these in improvement, metropolis authorities, advocacy, contractors, labor unions and design corporations.
“What we’re doing is actually transformative, it’s going to form the Buildings Division and the development business within the metropolis for the subsequent 50 years,” the commissioner stated. “It’ll carry the Buildings Division into the twenty first Century.”
The Eagle just lately sat down with Ulrich in his workplace in downtown Manhattan to debate his time on the job to date, his objectives for the company and town, how the company goals to steadiness security and rules, his time on the council and extra.
The next interview has been edited for size and readability.
Eagle: Broadly talking, how would you describe your time as DOB commissioner to date?
Ulrich: This has been the most effective job I’ve ever had. There’s a lot work to do right here, a lot to be taught and a lot room for enchancment for somebody like me, who’s a workaholic, to actually simply dive proper in and get proper all the way down to it. The Buildings Division is comprised of roughly 1,600 very devoted staff and they’re on the coronary heart of the whole lot that we do right here. There are some issues that we do notably effectively, that we’re very pleased with, and there are many issues that we do not do effectively, and that we have to change. However the issue isn’t the individuals, the issue is the method.
Eagle: Have there been any main surprises since taking the job? Any challenges that you just didn’t foresee?
Ulrich: If you find yourself managing any giant group, an organization, nonprofit, a enterprise or a authorities company, altering the tradition is all the time the toughest factor to do. It’s like making an attempt to get a cruise ship to show at a 90 diploma angle – it might occur, nevertheless it would not occur in a single day. I am a really impatient individual, I’ve a way of urgency and plenty of vitality, and I am making an attempt to result in many modifications right here. The one problem that I see is my lack of persistence. I’ve super help from Metropolis Corridor, from the mayor and the Metropolis Council, and the unions. However once more, altering any codes, altering any guidelines, altering insurance policies – these should not modifications that occur in a single day. And that is the one frustration that I’ve. However I am engaged on it.
Eagle: In comparison with the earlier administration, what would you say are a number of the largest modifications that you have tried to implement since taking workplace?
Ulrich: I do not wish to evaluate myself to the earlier administration, as a result of former Commissioner Melanie La Rocca [who now serves as the DOB’s chief efficiency officer], needed to do many, if not all the issues that I am now doing, however her fingers had been tied by COVID – the Buildings Division was actually closed and town was shut down. However I’ll say we have to change the general public notion as a result of there are issues that we do notably effectively that we’re very environment friendly in doing. We wish to facilitate secure, code-compliant development within the metropolis, as a result of we all know it is good for the economic system and creates jobs and creates housing – which we desperately want – and it helps our enterprise neighborhood. There are such a lot of advantages to what we do and I believe if the general public knew extra about it they may respect us much more than they do.
However once more, that did not occur in a single day. Individuals did not simply get up someday and hate the Buildings Division. This has been many years of poor administration, poor oversight and now, I believe that for the primary time in a really, very very long time, Mayor Eric Adams has made reforming and enhancing the Division of Buildings a high precedence. It is not a vote getter, however he is elevated the extent of significance about fixing the Buildings Division.
Eagle: How have you ever approached altering that notion?
Ulrich: Decreasing crimson tape rules, streamlining the plan evaluate course of, chopping the backlog and the inspections, making our borough places of work much more useful and accessible, totally reopening them having expanded customer support hours. Additionally giving our staff higher coaching, higher help, higher supervision. From a administration perspective, all of these items are undoubtedly going to enhance the client expertise, and the exterior notion that folks have of the Buildings Division. We’ll by no means compromise security, we’ll by no means look the opposite manner or fake that we do not care about security. However we won’t make it so tough and maintain placing one other layer of pointless processes, or maintain elevating the bar so excessive that folks cannot leap over it.
Eagle: Are security and rules mutually unique?
Ulrich: I am going to provide you with an instance for instance the purpose. Not having a paper copy of the plans on website used to outcome within the issuance of a full cease work order. Why, is past me. Now, does the code say you need to have paper copies of plans on website? Sure, in fact you do. If you do not have paper copies of the plans on website are you going to get a violation? Sure, as a result of the code says you need to get a violation. Mustn’t having a paper copy of the plans on website – and that being the one violation that inspector finds – lead to a full cease work order which is able to price you 1000’s of {dollars} in extra development prices and weeks or months of delays in getting reopened by the Buildings Division? Completely not.
It is not about {dollars} and cents, it is about frequent sense. There are lots of individuals within the metropolis who suppose that we’re solely involved with elevating income for town or that we’re strictly punitive. We’re not. We’re right here to make sure compliance and security and to facilitate secure, authorized, code-compliant development within the metropolis. We would like extra housing, we wish extra development jobs, we wish extra accountable improvement. However we won’t have individuals chopping corners or breaking the principles and pondering that we’re simply going to look the opposite manner.
Eagle: We’ve seen town wrestle to retain and rent metropolis employees previously yr. How has town’s excessive price of job vacancies affected the DOB?
Ulrich: We now have a couple of 24 to 25 % emptiness price, which is barely increased than what different companies are experiencing, however not inconsistent with what nearly each different metropolis company is dealing with. We’re competing with a extremely aggressive job market – the personal sector is ready to pay architects and engineers extra money than we’re capable of pay them. Additionally, our salaries are decided by collective bargaining agreements which might be negotiated with the unions and the Workplace of Labor Relations, so it isn’t just like the commissioner has a magic wand and says, “ what, I wish to give my architects a $10,000 elevate.” I might do it. However I haven’t got that energy, that capability. I believe we have now to seek out methods to draw, recruit and in addition retain our staff. We, as a metropolis, have to establish extra methods to do this – to make working for town personally and financially rewarding.
Eagle: In September, the DOB launched its 90 day fee to evaluate numerous the division’s insurance policies. Inform us in regards to the fee’s objectives and the place it presently stands.
Ulrich: That is the primary time the mayor has stated, “Get everyone to the desk and inform us what we have to repair and tips on how to repair it.” Now, that does not imply on the finish of the day, they’ll give us a litany of a whole bunch of complaints and we’re simply going to wave a magic wand and the whole lot goes away. It does imply nonetheless, that we are going to give you a listing of actionable objects on the finish of those 90 days. What we’re doing is actually transformative and goes to form the Buildings Division and development business within the metropolis for the subsequent 50 years, and goes to carry the Buildings Division into the twenty first Century. The 90 day fee is lengthy overdue. The mayor has charged me, and everyone on this constructing, with getting this factor off the bottom, getting all of our stakeholders and our companions within the business to the desk, getting the most effective concepts, getting finest practices from different jurisdictions, discovering out what’s incorrect by trying beneath the hood and diagnosing the issue, however not simply whining about what’s incorrect right here, however truly telling us tips on how to repair it. Give us the answer.
Eagle: Final yr, 11 Queens residents died because of Hurricane Ida. Many died in illegally transformed basement flats that flooded. There was discuss on the time about altering rules surrounding basement models in an effort to make them safer. These conversations appear to have stalled. The place do these conversations presently stand and what are your ideas on legalizing extra basement models?
Ulrich: We can’t legalize dwellings that aren’t secure. We will by no means put individuals in fireplace traps or demise traps. Initially, it is unlawful and it is immoral – that ought to by no means occur. That being stated – are there basement flats that may be made safer, and that may be liveable? Completely. We have stated that. This does not contain simply the Constructing Division. If we legalize a basement condominium and we make it safer, a three-family home now turns into a four-family home, and so forth. Now, that constructing is not compliant with the zoning rules. So now it includes the Division of Metropolis Planning.
Ensuring that an condominium is liveable and secure, that is one thing that we will work with landlords on and do on our personal. However ensuring that it is compliant with the zoning, that is one thing that Metropolis Corridor must get the Division of Metropolis Planning on doing, as a result of we do not we do not management that.
Eagle: So, do you suppose the hassle to legalize extra models has stalled as a result of it includes so many companies?
Ulrich: It is a dialogue that is nonetheless ongoing. We get known as to Metropolis Corridor typically to speak about it. Given the disaster proper now, with the migrants and asylum seekers, the necessity for a bigger housing inventory is ever extra obvious. The mayor has spoken to me and plenty of of my fellow commissioners about making an attempt to establish extra alternatives to construct housing. So, we’re a associate on this. It’s a multi-pronged technique, nevertheless it’s one which we’re actively engaged in.
Eagle: What’s your favourite constructing in New York Metropolis?
Ulrich: I’ve a number of. I really like the Empire State Constructing. I have been there so many instances. And I really like St. Patrick’s Cathedral as a result of I really like Gothic Revival structure model.
Eagle: What about in Queens?
Ulrich: Queens is such a historic place. I just like the Queens County Farm Museum. In Brooklyn, Greenwood Cemetery. I imply, that’s a cemetery however there are buildings there and it might sound slightly morbid however that is a terrific place. Within the Bronx, Yankee Stadium, though I miss Shea Stadium. However the best asset that we have now within the metropolis should not the buildings, it is the individuals. And the structure and the buildings within the metropolis replicate the gorgeous range that exists right here.
Eagle: What’s your least favourite constructing in New York Metropolis?
Ulrich: I am not an architect, however there was this postmodern, very German influenced design and structure that was principally a metal glass field. Individuals thought this was stylish. And now you see that there is a return to the extra conventional, neoclassical types of design they usually’ll incorporate it into a number of the trendy developments which might be going up. Previously, it was crimson brick homes, it was cookie cutter and it lacked character. However now town’s the housing inventory is so completely different and so various and so blended that you’re going to see a Tudor house subsequent to a Japanese model construction. So, it is form of fascinating.
Eagle: You represented a part of the Rockaway peninsula when Hurricane Sandy struck in 2012 and also you had been round throughout what has was a decade-long restoration. What position does the DOB play within the metropolis’s effort to struggle local weather change?
Ulrich: The division performs an enormous position within the metropolis’s response to the local weather disaster. I introduced the creation of a brand new Sustainability Bureau on the division again in September, and we have now a big, proficient workforce of specialists on workers working day-in and day-out on the implementation of those initiatives, together with Native Regulation 97. The vast majority of greenhouse gasses in our metropolis comes from buildings, and this necessary regulation places limits on these emissions for the bigger buildings in our metropolis. The brand new Sustainability Bureau is being led by Deputy Commissioner Laura Popa, one in all our metropolis’s high sustainability specialists. Laura and her workforce are spearheading this necessary work for the Adams administration, serving to town attain its carbon impartial objectives by 2050.
Eagle: How do you view the way forward for improvement in Queens and in New York Metropolis as a complete?
Ulrich: From what I see the long run could be very vibrant. The variety of purposes is up, the variety of permits is up. Brooklyn is on fireplace, Queens improvement is booming. If something, we’re doing our greatest to maintain up with the momentum. We’re the development capital of the world and we’d like a world class Buildings Division to serve the development capital of the world. We won’t do it the best way we had been doing it 10, 20, or 30 years in the past, it is merely not sufficient. It is not going to have the ability to sustain with the demand that is on the market for constructing and constructing safely.
Eagle: What do you miss most about your time within the Metropolis Council?
Ulrich: I miss the individuals in Metropolis Corridor, working with them day by day. I nonetheless drop in to see them. I used to be there for 12 years and it was a terrific privilege and a terrific job. Do I miss the four-hour hearings that generally went on and on and on? No. Do I miss a few of my constituents, seeing them extra regularly? Sure. I nonetheless run into them within the district they usually say they miss me. I do not know if that is true, however they are saying they miss me. However I’ve no intention of returning to any elected workplace.
Eagle: The rest you wish to add?
Ulrich: We’ll be rolling out numerous different initiatives that I can not go into proper now within the subsequent month – the mayor’s workplace goes to assist us announce them. However the level is, I’m extraordinarily optimistic. I am excited. And I need New Yorkers to really feel that vitality and that pleasure as a result of good issues are on the horizon right here on the DOB.
