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A new safety effort introduced Sunday by Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer could mean costly upgrades for hundreds of skyscrapers.
Stringer's plan would bring more than 800 federal, state, and foreign-owned buildings under the same strict fire and safety codes as city-owned buildings.
The move comes nearly a year after the deadly Deutsche Bank fire that killed two firefighters. Investigators later discovered a broken standpipe failed to deliver water to the upper floors of the building.
Stringer said he fears a similar disaster could occur because many skyscrapers are exempt from city codes.
"The one thing we've learned through the crane collapses, the Deutsche Bank fire, and 9/11, is that we are one city. And we need to have one building code standard," said Stringer. "Right now, some buildings are super inspected and super safe and other buildings aren't. And we have to realize that and we have to deal with it."
Such buildings that would have to comply with the safety plan include the Port Authority Bus Terminal, the Adam C. Powell State Office Building and the United Nations.
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