Over the last several years, Queens has been plagued by stalled construction sites: New, poorly built, half completed buildings that replaced smaller viable homes.

In a more just city, there would be rules against "developers" starting new construction without enough funding to actually finish the job

This building is a very good example of this phenomena. When the real estate 'developer' ran out of money, this wreck of a building was left behind. The junk plywood construction fence out front has collapsed in many locations, and scrappers have gone in to pull out every last piece of copper pipe and wiring that was installed. Windows throughout the building have been blown out by rock throwing youth and neighbors whose complaints to the city have resulted in nothing being done. The city has fined the 'developer' well over $20,000 so far, though such fines are often later dismissed once the 'developer' actually comes back with a sack of cash to finish the job and pay off the right city officials. Building construction permits are renewed as if nothing ever went wrong, and often the sites remain unfinished and in limbo for years.

In a more just city, there would be rules against "developers" starting new construction without enough funding to actually finish the job, and when a 'developer' abandons a project, the property should be handed over to the city within a year to auction it off to someone that will finish the job or it should be picked apart, with the materials sold and the land turned into a community garden. Neither of these radical ideas will ever happen in NYC though - because 'developers' are the largest campaign contributors to politicians at every level of the corrupt game, and voters for the most part are apathetic about our entire broken system of money driven government.

Footnote -
* As you can tell from my use of quotation marks, I believe the phrase "real estate developer" is very much a misnomer. "Developers" often cause more destruction to neighborhoods than actually developing anything - except maybe their portfolio of profits won by taking advantage of lackadaisical laws.