Councilmember Bill de Blasio released the following statement regarding the charges against architect Robert Scarano.

“It is about time that Robert Scarano is held accountable for his illegal and dangerous actions. Scarano is the worst example of an architect who continues to build in this city despite his long history of violating zoning and building codes and practicing unsafe construction.

“Almost one year ago to date, I joined community activists calling on the State Education Department to revoke Scarano’s license because of his shoddy track record. Once again, I am calling on the State to revoke Scarano’s license. What more do we need to know about his record of lies to determine that he should not be permitted to operate in our city?

“It is critical that developers and architects around the city know that they cannot operate above the law. Nobody gets a pass on unlawful activities, especially those that endanger the lives of our citizens. Scarano’s constant law breaking and falsification of documents and statements is inexcusable.”

Councilmember de Blasio repeatedly called for Scarano to be taken off the project at 360 Smith Street. On February 11th, developer Billy Stein announced that he removed Scarano from the project and replaced him with Armand Quadrini of KSK architects due to intense pressure from the community.