As previously reported , the Roosevelt Island Riverwalk Building are surrounding by scaffolding to protect passerbys from falling debris as Local Law 11 facade work is done on the exterior of the buildings.

Image Of Riverwalk 455 Main Street Facade Work According to Habitat Magazine:

New York City’s Faade Inspection Safety Program (FISP), also called Local Law 11, requires that owners of buildings with more than six stories undergo an exterior inspection every five years….

and the Department of Buildings:

… created and implemented the law in 1980 then called Local Law 10 in response to the 1979 death of Barnard College student Grace Gold when she was struck by masonry falling from a building faade in Manhattan. More recently, on August 1, 2013, Jennifer Rosoff fell to her death from her 17th-floor condominium at 400 East 57th Street after the 78-year-old aluminum railing on her balcony gave way. The railing was installed in 1931 without welded rivets, and the non-welded rivets popped out….

The facade work has meant that outdoor seating at Riverwalk restaurants is not available or limited to certain times upsetting some residents.

The NY Times reported yesterday on a tragic incident Local Law 11 facade work is intended to prevent. According to the NY Times:

… On Sunday morning, Susan Frierson, 60, was outside the building with her granddaughter, Greta Greene, 2, when a piece of decorative terra-cotta windowsill broke free eight stories above. Both were struck, Greta most seriously. After hours on the operating table at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, doctors could not save her. She was pronounced dead on Monday.

New York has a strict facade-inspection law, but Gretas death was a reminder of that laws limits,…

During yesterday’s (May 18) Roosevelt Island Operating Corp ( RIOC ) Operations Advisory Committee ( full audio web cast of meeting ), RIOC Director Margie Smith asked about the status of Riverwalk restaurants outdoor seating during the local law 11 facade work.. RIOC President Charlene Indelicato said that she was told by a Hudson Related Representative that for safety reasons outdoor seating would not be available at Riverwalk restaurants under the scaffolding Image of Riverwalk Bar & Grill Seating Under Scaffolding From Several Weeks Ago during the time facade work is being done but can be available after 4:30 on weekdays and on weekends. Here’s the discussion.

Recently, I have noticed that the seating is not available under the scaffolding.