News

NEW YORK, NY July 15, 2005 —Construction on a controversial upper west side apartment complex has been halted, following yesterday's building collapse that injured nine people including a baby, and four firefighters.

The former Gristedes on Broadway between 99th and 100th streets was being demolished to build a 31 story apartment tower that some community members said would be out of scale for the neighborhood. The buildings department is looking into the role played by heavy equipment that was being used to tear town the roof.

Three violations were issued to the general contractor, Safeway Environmental. The same demolition company was also fined thousands of dollars for doing work without a permit at the old Columbus Circle Colliseum, where two workers were injured during a partial collapse four years ago.

The west side site was being developed into high rise apartment buildings by Extell, the same company that's competing to build an apartment and retail complex over the Atlantic Avenue Rail Yards in Brooklyn.