Noise problem from office building

citi-quiet your windows / get an air purifier / a marpac white noise machine / a white noise cd, or break your lease and move. fighting issues of noise in nyc is nearly impossible, and if you attempt it, there is a high probability you will only screw yourself in the end.

It's interesting how people choose to live in neighborhoods that are zoned commercial, and then complain when "commercial" activity goes on around them.

For the past two years I have dealt with the usual nosie NYCMatt. And having moved from a nice quiet area on the west coast, I was a bit naive about what this street was like. And then again, not having lived in this area, how the &*&^% was I to know that 2 years in 17 floors of the building were going to be demolished and the damn building wasn't constructed in a way that the work could be done within the building. Yeah right, next time I will get my crystal ball out and try to predict the future.

Matt, I agree with you in principle. But Worldwide Plaza is an example of the opposite: Mixed-use (including lots of offices) in a solidly residential Hell's Kitchen area (but a couple of avenues away from Rockefeller Center).

It shows why zoning is good, and "mixed use" is good only for developers, which is why it's become so trendy among city planners.

Avery's right -- sound abatement and white noise would be your best bets, and moving at the end of your lease is your bestest bet.

i'm in this neighborhood. for a few weeks there was construction going on starting at 10 PM - 4 AM. as NYCMatt mentioned, this neighborhood is zoned commercial. i called 311, etc. but it did nothing. i recommend ear plugs and moving when your lease is up.

don't be fooled when this move is finished. you should move. these neighborhoods are undesirable for a reason.

Noise is definitely a problem in New York, has been for a long time. Hopefully it will be the next form of pollution to be addressed in this city. Even in non-commercial neighborhoods, the garbage trucks collecting in the middle of the night make a lot of noise. However, just because a neighborhood is commercial, does that give developers the right to do demolition in the middle of the night? I doubt it. waxlion721, you are right to complain. If everyone accepted all the crap that goes on in NY, the place would never improve. Your complaint seems to be two-fold, and therefore probably requires different approaches. Which noise problem bothers you and your neighbors the most? I am guessing that it's the demolition in the middle of the night. If it's really awful and enough of you are upset about it, contact your local government representative. Several years ago I was a tenant in a "luxury" building where the landlord (Rockrose) decided to replace the air conditioning system in the middle of the summer. In the hottest, most humid period, the whole building was without AC for two weeks. Of course, we did the usual -- go to movies, go to supermarket and other cool places, but the building was really uninhabitable during this period (little apartments with single exposure so no air circulation). So tenants organized and contacted our local gov't. official. The problem got resolved quickly after that! For the shredding problem, maybe you can contact the law firm and ask them to have the shredding done "off-site." Good luck! Let us know what happens.

"next time I will get my crystal ball out and try to predict the future."

You don't need a psychic to tell you that moving next door to a 60-story office tower, overlooking loading docks, might generate some noise in your apartment.

Organize your neighbors and make sure you all call 311 regularly and consistently -- when they see a volume of regular complaints, they will respond.

ali r.
{downtown broker}

If construction crews have permits to work around the clock, they're not breaking any laws, and therefore calling 311 would be useless.

"Organize your neighbors and make sure you all call 311 regularly and consistently -- when they see a volume of regular complaints, they will respond"

311 is Bloomberg's version of the button you push on the traffic light pole with the "push here to cross" sign on it: it's not actually connected to anything, someone just did a psychological survey that if people felt they had some control they felt better about waiting longer; but it's not actually connected to anything.

Noise complaints to 311 are goo for Bloomy collecting statistics on what people are complaining about quality of life wish, but from personal experience result in ABSOLTULY NOTHING in terms of ANYTHING concrete actually being done about the issue.

I totally concur with 30yrs regarding 311 & noise. It's an outrage, really, even in the scope of the do-nothing self-promotional world of Boston Bloomberg.

It's very quiet outside 17 (19? ACRIS it.) East 79th Street, though, so you're all a bunch of whiners.

"It's interesting how people choose to live in neighborhoods that are zoned commercial, and then complain when "commercial" activity goes on around them."

Welcome to Soho, where people move into units which they don't belong in because they don't have AIR (Artist in Residence) certificates, where the area is zoned as commercial with a special exemption to preserve the artists' need for space (M1-5B; Jopint Liveing-Working Quarters for ARTISTS), but since it became chic no new artists can afford it, and then complain about the noise from the sculptor upstairs performing his craft legally.

Another possible solution is to go to the next meeting of your local Community Board. Bring your neighbors because the more people that show up, the more likely something is to get done. Find out beforehand if you need to register to speak during the "public comments" portion of the board meeting. I suggest that you call this week and have a chat with the community board manager and/or the board chair. Our board (not in your area) has often successfully intervened in noise disputes and other kinds of disputes between the community and developers, although the law is almost always on the developers' side. Our despicable Mayor-for-Life sees to it that no developer ever goes without in NYC.

What exactly do people think will and/or should get done? The City should encourage that this building isn't cleaned out or takes extra long to get cleaned out so that the space can't be rented to tax paying tenants and employee employing employers?

These complaints are misdirected.

You can try calling downtown; it can't hurt. You're council district 3, Christine C. Quinn is your council person. http://council.nyc.gov/html/members/members.shtml

You may also want to consider mediation... It's a free service in NYC, and often helps residents dealing with noise from neighbors, both residential and commercial. All you need to do is call. You can decide after speaking with them if it is something you'd like to try: Safe Horizon Manhattan Mediation Center (212) 577-1740.

I disagree that calling 311 gets no results. In my experience, it can be extremely useful and have had good results. And Front Porch is right -- get lots of others to call, too. Also call your Council person, as suggested, and also put in calls to Community Board 4 -- the more calls the better. The effort may not result in zero noise but it's possible the permits would be re-issued and the shredding trucks moved off-site. Reducing noise has been one of Bloomberg's initiatives and hey, we're heading into an election year....