Brouhaha Brews Over Rootop Construction At Essex House

There's a tempest brewing in a teapot over at Central Park South's splendiferous Jumeirah Essex House. A tipster writes in about a recent Department of Buildings decision to approve a 19th-floor terrace-to-sunroom conversion done by scandal-ridden bazillionaire real estate investor Steven Green, who used to own an apartment in the building. Technically, DOB zoning codes permit any rooftop spaces that are already more than 50 percent enclosed and have parapets above a certain height to be turned into habitable spaces. So what's the problem? The tipster believes that the DOB didn't used to interpret the zoning rule this way, and now, "the floodgates will open to rooftop and terrace additions to a number of 'overbuilt' buildings, including additions of entire habitable floors." Let's get building, Pierre residents, there are views to block!
· All Essex House coverage [Curbed]