For Immediate Release:
November 15, 2017
CONTACT: dobcommunications@buildings.nyc.gov,
(212) 393-2126

NEW DOB REPORT: NYC CONSTRUCTION AT ALL-TIME HIGH

“NYC Construction Dashboard” Gives New Yorkers a Quarterly Briefing
on Development in Their Neighborhood & Citywide

New York, NY – Today, Buildings Commissioner Rick D. Chandler released the agency’s first-ever NYC Construction Dashboard, a data-rich interactive quarterly report on construction and real-estate development in every neighborhood in the city.

Click here to see DOB’s dashboard.

The report shows that New York’s real-estate boom continues unabated. DOB issued a record 88,838 construction permits over the last two quarters, eclipsing the previous high, set in the spring and summer of 2016. The surge in construction is reflected in data on construction employment – also covered in the report – which was likewise at an all-time high last year.

“It’s not your imagination: construction is at a record high in New York City,” said Commissioner Chandler. “Our new dashboard gives New Yorkers an in-depth look at the development of our built environment, covering construction in your neighborhood, as well as citywide trends.”

Other report highlights:

• Manhattan Community Board 5, which covers midtown south of Central Park, has by far the most construction activity in the city. There have been more than 13,000 permits issued so far this year in CB5 – nearly double the number in Manhattan Community Board 8 -covering the Upper East Side- which had the second-highest number of permits issued.

• In 2016, East Midtown, Bushwick, and Gowanus had the most demolitions. In New York City, demolitions typically are done to make room for new development, so look for construction activity to pick up in these neighborhoods.

• In 2016 and so far this year, the South Shore of Staten Island had the most permits for new buildings – primarily single-family homes.

The dashboard, which will be updated quarterly, was built by DOB’s data analytics team – a key part of the agency’s Building One City modernization plan. The team’s first report documented all of the sidewalk sheds citywide.

“DOB has always been sitting on a mountain of data – but now we’re marshaling this information to better inform the public and improve our own operations. None of this would have been possible without Mayor de Blasio’s commitment to give DOB the funding and staffing we’ve always needed but never had,” said Commissioner Chandler.