A building boom along a four-block stretch in Norwood has once again been halted as the Department of Buildings (DOB) has issued stop work orders at two of the four projects currently under development.

DOB records show a full vacate order and a partial stop work order remain in effect for 3083 Hull Ave.—a one-story property by East 204th Street consisting of five shops. Records reveal “There is an active permit for interior demolition of the property. However a violation for work without permit was issued for activities outside the scope of the permitted job at the time of the collapse.” DOB officials did not elaborate on the specific violation.

According to the document obtained by the Norwood News, members of the DOB’s Interior Demolition Unit continue to work with an engineer hired by owner, Brooklyn-based developer Transition Acquisitions– to oversee the continued emergency stabilization work and partial demolition of the building in order to protect the public.

Around the corner, a passerby was burned on the top of his head by embers originating from a welding machine operated by a construction crew member working on the fourth floor of 374 E. 204th St. by Webster Avenue. The remodeling project consists of a new five-story building being built atop an existing one-story commercial business.

The victim who declined to be publicly identified, recalled, “I was coming out from under the scaffold and it got me right there, when I came out. They had no protection, nothing. Just someone standing in the street. That’s why they left. He called the guy on the phone, told him to stop working and he came down. This job has been shut down plenty of times.”

A DOB record of the incident reports, “A partial stop work order for welding operations was issued on 5/7/18 due to a pedestrian injury; a violation was also issued for failure to safeguard the public.” The DOB report continued, “The partial stop work order due to the ongoing dispute with the owner of the adjacent property is also still in effect.”

That ongoing dispute between developer Edward Khalil and homeowner Darrell Burgess, began almost from the day the project began back in 2013.

According to Burgess, “It’s considered as renovation, not new construction. That’s how they get around a lot of rules.” Overlooking the initial problems, Burgess recalled, “It took me a long time to mount a fight, which was a big mistake on my part.”

“It really makes you wonder,” Burgess concludes, “if these inspectors are on the take, how do they come out here and not see” what’s going on at construction sites.

An employee of Khalil’s said the developer was at a job site and was unreachable by press time.