City Council Philistines Veto the Mayor's Veto
December 9, 2005, NY Post — The City Council yesterday rejected, for the second time, a move to designate Brooklyn’s Austin Nichols warehouse a landmark. The Williamsburg structure, designed by Woolworth Building architect Cass Gilbert, is now an artist’s colony of sorts, home to about 50 families. Landmark status would keep developers from tearing down…
December 9, 2005, NY Post — The City Council yesterday rejected, for the second time, a move to designate Brooklyn’s Austin Nichols warehouse a landmark. The Williamsburg structure, designed by Woolworth Building architect Cass Gilbert, is now an artist’s colony of sorts, home to about 50 families. Landmark status would keep developers from tearing down the waterfront property, converting it into apartments and displacing current residents. Lawmakers also approved a bill requiring theater owners to tell audiences where fire escapes are before performances. And they overrode Mayor Bloomberg’s veto of a bill suspending alternate-side parking for Diwali, a Hindu holiday
Council Nixes Landmark Bid [NY Post]
Landmarking without the owner’s consent? I take it you just simply oppose zoning of any sort, then, since landmarking is merely another form of communal decisionmaking about property development.
BTW, an owner essentially can landmark the building in prepetuity themselves by giving an easement to a pre-existing conservation trust. The only tricky thing here is calcuating the tax consequence of the bequest — there was some press a couple of years ago that wealthy property owners were making such requests and then taking exorbitant deductions for the purported value of the easement. (I.e., that the restriction on changing the facade, etc., depressed the value of the house…) THese values were especially challenged where the property in question was already desigated a landmark by operation of law.
city council is plagued with corruption. it’s shameful.
Nothingnew:
Not cleaning the street is ‘respecting everyone’s beliefs’? Not cleaning the street is why America is great?
Let them have a parade if they want to publicly celebrate the day. Then we at least get samosas out of the deal…
in my neighborhood there is alternate side parking 4 times a week. I think a couple of holidays only gives us a break from the abosolute annoyance of switching car/ looking for parking/ switching back……….
I say we need more holidays in my neighborhood. Oops… I forgot I recently acquired a leased parking spot- well, it’s nice that we are respecting all religious holidays:)
your streets will remain the same clean/dirty, regardless………….
Its a pandering shame all the alternate side suspensions. There is no religious rule that christian or hindu or whomever can’t move their cars….just couldn’t stand that jews received an accomodation for religious observance. Even though most jews in this city could care less about strict observance anyway.
Its become quite silly.
Don’t forget the triple holidays for Id ul Fitr and the Id al Adha. That’s so sweet when it rolls around.
actually preston that is why america is great because, at least on paper, we respect everyone’s beliefs. If you look at parking suspension rules there are something like 32 days where they are suspended, something like 11 of em are for jewish holidays, something like 4 or 5 are for are for various christain/chatholic days, so whats wrong with one more for a different religion? Surley you would not want the city government to violate the first amendment and only allow suspended parking days for the religion of your choice and discriminate against all others now would you?
To the Austin Nichols Resident, do you own your space in the building or are you renting? If you are a renter, then I’m sorry to hear that you will have to move, but really, renters do have to move from time to time if the landlord increases the rent or for whatever reason does not renew the lease.
“If they add another couple of holidays our streets will never be swept.”
09:37-
You know you’ve made it in America when your ethnic group is duly respected with a holiday where the city is allowed to grow a bit filthier.
The city council is a joke.