'I'm scared something is going to happen': Dangerous scaffolding still hangs over Bed-Stuy elderly couple’s home
John and Allie Sykes say the scaffolding has not only become an eyesore, it’s now damaging their property and threatening their safety.
More Stories
A Brooklyn couple says they’re afraid for their lives as old, rusty scaffolding continues to hang over their front door, six years after the city first ordered it installed.
John and Allie Sykes, who live next to a building at 669 Marcy Ave., say the scaffolding has not only become an eyesore, it’s now damaging their property and threatening their safety.
“What are they waiting for? Wait until the whole thing falls down in my neighbor’s yard or a piece of plywood blows across the street and hurt somebody?” said John Sykes.
The Department of Buildings originally ordered the scaffolding in 2019 to protect pedestrians from the deteriorating building next door. Since then, that building has been sold. While the new owners replaced the scaffolding in front of the property during renovations, they left the older section — the part hanging over the Sykes' home — untouched.
The couple says they recently noticed that a pole from the scaffolding is leaning into their cement stairs, causing them to shift and crack. The wooden blocks supporting another section are also disintegrating.
“It’s like I can’t get any kind of help,” said Allie Sykes.
According to DOB, inspectors have issued fines and ordered the developer to fix the problem. But work has not been done.
A DOB spokesperson told News 12 they plan to send another inspector to the property. If the owner fails to make repairs, the city could take legal action.
