Originally published in Habitat Magazine,
November, 2016.
The Low-Down
The board should make sure it has a current alteration agreement
in place and should retain an attorney and architect so that
current trends and issues are addressed. In addition, each
agreement should be geared for the particularities of a building,
whether pre-war or new construction. When an alteration goes
off-track, and it appears it will take far longer than originally
contemplated, the board should have the ability to require that the
renovating owner comply with project schedules and completion dates
for each portion of the work.
The Weigh-In
If building staff and outside professionals (architects, for
example) conclude that schedules are not being met and will not be
met, it is important to be in touch with the owner. The owner
should be required to provide a "recovery schedule" that
gets him back on track. Boards should also understand why the owner
fell behind in the first place
