With the Landmarks Preservation Commission meeting today to consider designating the area known as Crown Heights North, the New York Sun reports that, not unexpectedly, there is a mix of reaction within the community. “We believe we are just as worthy as Park Slope, Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, and Stuyvesant Heights,” said Deborah Young, a homeowner who was led the effort to ressurrect a 1978 LPC study on the area’s architectural importance. Politically, Borough President Marty Markowitz is strongly in favor–and the addition would also help address recent accusations that LPC has been far too Manhattan-centric. Still, while some long-time homeowners like the idea of “preventing speculators coming in and tearing stuff down and building something out of character,” some also worry about those renters living on a fixed income who will be hurt by the upward trend in prices that often follows an historic designation. As for us, we can’t think of an unprotected area more in need of protection.
CHN Designation Would Worry Some [NY Sun]