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DBI discusses extending Article 31 at Hunters Point and flags $3.5M in recommended budget cuts
Summary
At the Building Inspection Commission meeting DBI staff discussed a proposal to extend Article 31 protections to the rest of Hunters Point Shipyard and described a budget analyst recommendation to cut approximately $3.5 million in new-project funding; public commenters raised scientific and conflict-of-interest concerns about the Hunters Point project and the EIR.
At a June 16 Building Inspection Commission discussion-only hearing, DBI and city officials described a proposal to extend Article 31 (a health-code review process for construction-related contamination risks) beyond Parcel A to the remainder of Hunters Point Shipyard, and DBI staff presented a fiscal update that the department’s budget requests face roughly $3.5 million in recommended cuts.
Michael Cohen of the Mayor’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development told the commission the extension is intended to apply the Department of Public Health review mechanisms used on Parcel A to additional parcels that will transfer from the Navy and that DBI regulations need to reflect that extension so DBI can refer certain permits to public health for extra oversight.
Public commenters sharply questioned staff’s framing. Dr. Hamza Porterson Chai, a former public-health physician and founder of a radiological subcommittee focused on Hunters Point, said large portions of the shipyard remain uncharacterized Superfund property and that Article 31 — developed for Parcel A — may not be sufficient; he raised technical contamination and characterization concerns and alleged past conflict-of-interest complaints about a Department of Public Health engineer. Environmental and community groups also criticized the adequacy of the project’s EIR and asked the commission to hold actions until appeals are resolved.
DBI Deputy Director Pamela Levin gave an update on department finances and the budget process, saying the department expects to increase its fund balance this fiscal year but that the budget analyst’s preliminary recommendations would cut roughly $3.5 million in requested projects (including several staffing additions and digitization/conversion work). Levin said DBI will defend its requests at upcoming budget hearings and noted that some requested positions were restorations of roles cut the prior year.
Director Vivian Day briefed commissioners on parallel code and fee proposals, including before-the-fact monitoring fees intended to encourage earlier compliance and proposed amendments that will be considered by DBI’s code advisory committee and later returned to the commission.
