By Urvashi Uberoy and Keith Collins
The plaza at 325 Fifth Avenue is just one example of a privately owned public space, commonly known as a POPS, that has not been maintained according to the developer’s agreement with the city. These agreements allow developers to build larger towers and earn more revenue in exchange for providing public spaces.
In December, the Department of Buildings completed its three-year inspection cycle and found that about one in five of the properties violated the terms of their agreements.
The lack of compliance with the law has been a problem for years. The city’s inspectors have issued violations to half of the 392 buildings with such spaces since 2011, according to a Department of Buildings dataset.
