New Yorkers are not big fans of sidewalk sheds—the hulking, sunlight-and-storefront-blocking, trash-accumulating, rat-sheltering metal-and-plywood structures that protect passers-by from falling debris during facade repair and restoration work. They cast the walkways below into shadow, catch drifts of windblown refuse, and often drip unidentifyable droplets and bits of debris onto passers-by. They're also pretty ugly. Happily, however, in addition to some recent requirements defining the use of sidewalk sheds and penalties for not meeting them, the City Council has also enacted provisions to improve the sheds’ aesthetics. An array of colors and improved lighting options are now available, with the aim of making the structures safer and less of an eyesore.
Color My World
Intro 391-A, which provides guidance and rules for sidewalk sheds, expands the acceptable palette beyond the traditional drab hunter green to include metallic gray, white, and any color that matches the color of the building. It also gives the DOB rulemaking authority to make additional changes to permissible shed designs, allowing the agency to make further modifications without needing additional legislation from the City Council. It also reduces the size of required sheds at campus style properties and buildings set back from the street, and increases the standard minimum height of the roof of a sidewalk shed from the current minimum of eight feet to 12 feet. Furthermore, the bill requires DOB to create agency rules for the use of façade containment netting.
According to David Maggiotto, deputy press secretary for the Department of Buildings, “Intro 391-A is the first change to the design standards of sidewalk sheds since Local Law 47 of 2013. This change will create sheds with taller ceilings to allow for more light to reach the sidewalk, and will also allow for a much larger array of colors for these sheds, allowing owners the option to make more aesthetically appropriate color choices for their buildings.”
Light Up My Life
A major issue for many New Yorkers has been the dark, somewhat suspect appearance of many sidewalk shed covered walkways. Unfortunately—and perhaps unavoidably, given our intense, crowded, urban environment—sidewalk sheds and their shadowy recesses do often serve as cover for illicit drug use, sketchy loitering, and of course, rats and other unsavory urban wildlife. Fisheye mirrors may help passers-by feel a bit more secure about what’s around the corner, but the fact remains that single bulbs spaced yards apart don’t do much to dispel the gloom underneath a block-long shed once the sun goes down.
Happily, Intro 660-A aims to eliminate the dark tunnels that sidewalk sheds create by requiring longer-lasting LED lights under the sheds instead of old-school incandescents, throwing more light onto sidewalks and reducing instances of lightbulbs burning out. “This will make for a safer, more attractive pedestrian experience in the city,” says Maggiotto.
When Do These Provisions Go into Effect?
Both bills were put into effect immediately, though the approved sidewalk shed designs have not been announced by DOB yet. This announcement is expected in summer 2025. “These pieces of legislation were conceived and implemented by the City Council,” says Maggiotto, “but the Department of Buildings supports them.”
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