Forest City Ratner and The Durst Organization have both joined the New York Building Foundation's Construction for a Livable City Program to encourage community-friendly construction site management practices.
Construction for a Livable City (CLC) is based on a checklist of twenty-seven common-sense practices that, when adopted by builders, can help lessen construction's impact on the surrounding community. For example, participants agree to maintain construction fences, sheds and other exterior elements; mitigate noise, dust and other pollutants; maintain open lines of communication with the public; and schedule truck deliveries and other work in a way that lessens their impact on residents and businesses.
The Durst Organization has signed up its new residential project, at 625 W. 57th St. This project will transform a long underutilized commercial space into a 750 unit apartment building that includes affordable housing and incorporates advanced green building elements. The project is currently going through the City's public land use review process, during which Durst has emphasized its commitment to being a good neighbor during and after construction. Construction is expected to take 30 months to complete.
Forest City Ratner joins the program as an Underwriter, which gives the company an advisory role helping to refine the CLC checklist, bringing its expertise building large projects in diverse communities to bear, and allows it enroll up to five of its projects in the CLC program. Forest City recently completed work on the first phase of its Atlantic Yards project that featured printed artwork on construction fencing along its construction fence on Atlantic Avenue.
Frank J. Sciame, Jr., Chair of the CLC Task Force, said, "Forest City Ratner and The Durst Organization are helping to raise the bar for construction site quality. By adopting the CLC Checklist, these organizations are taking concrete steps to be a better neighbor and improve the quality of life for New Yorkers."
For more information on Construction for a Livable City or to participate, visit the New York Building Foundation website, http://www.nybuildingfoundation.org/livable-city.html or call (212) 481-9230.
